I'm like 90% sure this is the first fic I've written since my name change. Yeah, did you notice it? I switched from floofeymarshmallow because it was heavily associated with my ex and I just didn't feel like having it any longer.

Oh, and I changed my major! Yep, I now have a useless teaching degree I'll never use.

And it's also my birthday today. I feel old.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Blue Exorcist/Ao no Exorcist.

"Hey, Okumura!" Shima called as he approached Yukio Okumura, who was busily carrying bags up to the dorm he would be staying in for the schoolyear. "How's it going?"

Shima and Yukio had met in their first year at True Cross Academy, and the two of them – along with their entire group of friends – were second years now. All the students attending the Academy were busily moving in to their dorm rooms, including Yukio and Shima. Fortunately, Yukio got lucky and was placed in the same dorm building as all the friends he had acquired in his first year.

Shima was a good kid, despite the pink dye in his hair, which he had done out of an act of rebellion against his parents before coming to the school. Everyone had tried to convince him to let the dye out, but he hadn't yet. Still, that had nothing to do with the genuine personality the student possessed.

"Just unpacking for the school year," Yukio replied as he adjusted his glasses. "I heard one of the dorm houses are closed for repairs, so there won't be any personal dorms this year." Usually, students were able to request single rooms. Well, it cost extra, and amenities like that weren't available to scholarship students like Yukio.

"Yeah, I guess it sucks for the rich kids," Shima joked. When Yukio first joined True Cross Academy, he had befriended other scholarship students. The rich kids usually snubbed those around them that didn't belong. While Yukio didn't belong with them, he hadn't been pushed away. He was actually welcomed by different girls in his class that weren't scholarship students. He had been the class representative after all. Still, he soon found his own kind, and the others had accepted him. All of the friends Yukio had made during the last year attended the academy on scholarship. "I just requested my roommates as Bon and Konekomaru."

Suguro, who was called 'Bon' by Shima and Konekomaru, were childhood friends. When they came to the academy, Suguro had been impressed with Yukio's academics, and they became quick friends.

Suddenly, Shima noticed that Yukio had not one, but two suitcases in his possession. Usually students only brought one suitcase, since most of the time they were in their school uniforms anyway. They really just needed a few outfits for when they weren't attending classes and undergarments.

"What's with the extra suitcase?" Shima asked curiously. "Don't tell me you got a roommate that's too lazy to carry his own bag," he whined out. He didn't want to be constantly dealing with some bratty kid whenever he tried to talk to Yukio. "Or do you have girly magazines in it?" Shima joked, wiggling his eyebrows a bit. Yukio simply shook his head at his friend's behaviour. There was always one pervert in a group, and it was Shima. He couldn't help but be reminded of his brother by the pink-haired teen.

"Actually, no," Yukio answered as he looked down at the slightly battered suitcase compared to his own. They were identical except for the wear and tear Rin's poor suitcase took. "It's my brother's. We're rooming for the year."

"You never told me you had a brother," Shima spoke, and Yukio was guilty. He simply hadn't told his friends about his brother, and it wasn't like they ever visited his home since they met. "Is he a first year?"

"No, he's a second year," Yukio answered. "We're twins," he added to avoid confusion. Usually Yukio found that he never told anyone he was a twin since Rin was always there. In the past year, though, he hadn't been.

"Twins?" Shima laughed a bit. "When I imagined meeting twins at school I thought they would be babes! Instead there's a clone of the nerdy kid next door," he joked. Yukio couldn't help the chuckle emitting from his chest. "So, do you two play pranks and stuff? Like, trick people with you being twins?" Shima was getting excited. How fun would it be to screw with people being a twin?

"You got me; I'm not Yukio." He never understood why people wanted to know about pranks. Didn't all siblings get into trouble together? Well, he and Rin didn't really. In fact, Yukio liked to think he calmed Rin down a bit.

"Very funny, but I think I would know you out of all other dorks," Shima replied. The two shared a laugh before they were interrupted by a, "Yukio!" and a shorter teenager peering through the doorway of the dorm room.

"Hey, Rin," Yukio greeted as he turned slightly to see his brother. "You want to unpack your stuff, or should I?" he asked, raising an eyebrow in his way of telling Rin to unpack his bag.

"Yes, oh wonderful master. Your wish is my command." Rin smirked before noticing the pink-haired teen. "Who's this?" he asked.

"This is Renzo Shima," Yukio introduced. "Shima, this is my twin brother, Rin."

"Older twin brother," Rin corrected.

"Kinda short for an older brother, don'tcha think?" Shima joked with a smirk, earning a glare from Rin. "So, you a geek like Okumura?"

"Psh; you wish," Rin replied, easing up a bit. "You should see my collection*," Rin replied, smirking a bit.

"Collection?" Yukio asked, raising an eyebrow and eyeing his brother down.

"Nothing, nothing." Rin froze a bit, not wanting the youngest Okumura to catch on. Shima laughed at the two. No, this certainly wasn't what he was hoping when he thought about meeting twins at school. In fact…there was something else missing.

"You know, you two don't look alike at all," Shima commented. While their hair colour was the same, Yukio was taller and more buff while Rin was shorter and lankier. Their faces and eyes weren't even the same shape, though they were both variations of blue. While Yukio had moles, Rin had his own oddity. A puckered scar running down from the bottom of his right eye to his chin. Shima didn't comment on it. The kid probably had tons of people who would ask about it or shy away from it. He didn't want to be that guy.

"Fraternal," the twins answered simultaneously. They were no strangers to that observation. They looked more alike when they were younger, but puberty hit Yukio like a brick and waited just a bit longer for Rin.

"You know what? We should all hang out together before school starts," Shima suggested. "We've still got today and tomorrow, and we can get the whole gang back together."

"That sounds like fun," Rin commented, growing an excited tone. Yukio watched his brother carefully. He wanted to ask Rin if he was sure. He wanted to stop Rin from getting too attached to anyone. But with Shima here, he didn't think it was a promising idea. "So, do you and Yukio have the same friends?" Rin aske.

"Yeah, I came to school with my childhood friends and he kind of joined the group. Brought along a couple of girls too," Shima answered. "Did you and Yukio share friends when you were in junior high?"

"Not really," Rin answered. There was a moment of awkward silence. "We just didn't really hang with the same crowds back then. He was nerdy. I was…not."

"Why don't we go see Shiemi and Kamiki while we wait for Suguro and Konekomaru?" Yukio suggested, successfully changing the subject.

"Sure; I think they're already at their dorm room," Shima replied.

Yukio put away his and Rin's suitcases before walking over to the girl's dorm house. It was during this time that Shima and Yukio gave Rin a brief tour since they knew where the buildings were from the year before. When arriving to the dorm house, Yukio asked around to find where Shiemi and Kamiki were staying. They found the door open as the girls working to unpack their belongings.

"Yuki! Shima!" Shiemi squeaked when she saw the three. She rushed to give Yukio a hug before parting. "I'm so excited to be back at school again so we can see each other."

"I was surprised when I heard you guys would be rooming together," Shima commented, referring to Kamiki and Shiemi. Usually Kamiki requested a room with her childhood friend, Paku. Kamiki and Shiemi weren't the best of friends, but…they dealt with each other. "What happened to Paku?"

"Hospital," Kamiki answered shortly. She had been in their group of friends during their first year before, but eventually she was confined to her dorm room when the school nurse and therapist diagnosed her with an eating disorder. She had to quit all her after-school activities, and the eating disorder only worsened during the summer.

"Oh, I know you!" Shiemi exclaimed when she noticed Rin. She barely had to look at him before figuring it out. "You must be Rin! Father Fujimoto mentioned Yuki having a brother. I knew it as soon as I looked at you; the two of you look just alike!"

"Really?" Rin and Yukio asked at the same time. Yukio gave the blonde an incredulous look, but Rin's tone held that of surprise and slight hope. Reactions like Shima's were understandable and normal. But no one ever said they looked alike these days unless it was their dad or brothers. Especially not with the ugly scar across his face. Shima hadn't mentioned it and Shiemi had seen past it. Rin wondered if that meant good things for the school year.

"Of course; it's nice to meet you," Shiemi greeted. "My name is Shiemi Moriyama. Father Fujimoto visits my family's pharmacy all the time, so I've heard a lot about you and Yuki." Rin wondered just how much she knew.

"Oh, my dad mentioned your pharmacy before," Rin replied. "I wonder if I've ever been before…" he wondered aloud. Usually he didn't tag along with his father anywhere, but there were times when he did.

"Isn't Father Fujimoto the Headmaster's friend?" Shima asked. "How does he know who Okumura's brother is?"

"Father Fujimoto is our father," Yukio answered, not mentioning the fact that the Headmaster was actually his and Rin's older half-brother.

"What?" Shima and Kamiki asked in shock.

"Well, yeah, that's how I got in with Yukio at such late notice," Rin commented. With his brother being the Headmaster, he was able to get in very quickly. He could still hear Mephisto's excitement in his head. "Oh, Rin; what an honour that you would want to join my fine institution!" It sent shivers down his spine.

"You never said your dad was a priest," Shima muttered. "I guess you kept your personal life pretty secret."

"It wasn't secret," Yukio replied. "You never asked, so I never said anything. If you want to know something, ask and be direct."

"Do you have a secret triplet?" Shima asked. Yukio just looked at Rin and the two shared a laugh. "Anyway, we were just killing time while we waited for Bon and Konekomaru," Shima explained to the girls. "While Okumura's growing a triplet, wanna see if they're at their dorm?"

"I'd love to, but Kamiki and I really need to finish unpacking, and we still need to pick some things up from the campus store," Shiemi replied. "We'll see you later, though, right?"

"Of course," Yukio answered. After saying their goodbyes, the three headed back to the boys' dorm house to see of the others had arrived. Shima led the Okumura brothers to the dorm he was staying in, conveniently next to the brothers', when Suguro walked up behind them.

"Shima, Okumura; nice to see you two," Suguro greeted. While he, Shima, and Konekomaru were all from the same hometown, they had to leave at different times due to family matters. Suddenly, he noticed Rin. "Who's this?"

"This is my twin brother, Rin," Yukio introduced. "He's attending the academy this year."

"Twins, huh? Didn't see that coming," Suguro commented. "Guess you're even an overachiever in the womb," he joked.

"Very funny." Rin rolled his eyes.

"Rin, this is Ryuji Suguro," Yukio told the shorter twin. "Shima and Konekomaru call him Bon."

"Hey there, Suguro," Rin greeted, looking up and down at the punk kid in front of him. He was…so cool! He had Rin's dream bod and looked so badass!

"When were you preparing to tell us you had a brother?" Suguro asked as he dropped the box he had been carrying.

"Probably when he was going to tell us his dad is a priest who is friends with the Headmaster," Shima mentioned.

"No shit?" Suguro was impressed. He hadn't expected this nerdy kid to be hiding several bombshells. He would need to visit Yukio more often. "So, what's up with the massive scar on your face?" Suguro asked. Rin blinked in surprise. He shouldn't have been; people came up and asked about it all the time. Some people just assumed he was a delinquent or he was with the Yakuza. But it still didn't get any easier when someone did ask. Yukio was about to change the subject when, to his surprise, Shima came to the rescue.

"Come on, Bon, don't ask so nonchalantly like that," Shima scolded. "Don't worry about him; he shattered his kneecap by slipping in dog pee and now he has to wear a knee-brace when exercising**. So he's super uncool and his opinions literally don't matter."

"Hey!" Suguro exclaimed, defensive about the story that had just been told about him. Rin only laughed.

Yukio looked down at his watch.

"Oh, Rin and I need to get unpacking before the day is over," Yukio announced. "We'll see you tomorrow."

"And we're right next door if you need us," Rin piped up. The four went their separate ways and Rin practically collapsed on the bed.

"Rin, come on. Up," Yukio commanded. The smaller teen groaned before rolling off the bed so he could unpack.

"The perks of being related to the Headmaster," Rin said, mostly to himself, as he opened the door to the private bathroom in their dorm. Mephisto had given them the dorm he remodelled to have a bathroom, so his brothers wouldn't have to fight for bathroom space anywhere else. And another reason.

"Don't talk to yourself like that. It's weird," Yukio commented as Rin grabbed his box of tampons and placed them on a shelf in the bathroom. Returning to his bag, Rin began to place articles of clothing in his wardrobe while Yukio did the same with the wardrobe on the opposite side of the room. Yukio couldn't help catching Rin looking over his school uniform. "Are you nervous?"

"A little," Rin answered. He was worried about being in a school where no one knew him. The last time that had happened, it hadn't ended well. But these people seemed good. Well, so did the last set of people he encountered. But he had Yukio with him. Yukio would be there this time. "But I'm excited too. I get to be in a normal school this year and we're back at it as the unstoppable Okumura brothers!"

"Well, get your unstoppable butt ready for bed; it's getting late," Yukio said. Rin waved him off as he finished putting away his things, grabbing his pyjamas and rushing into the bathroom.

Yukio sighed. How was his brother going to get through this year? He had been so worried last year with Rin not well. Even now, Yukio could see the toll it took on his brother. He could see the longing look he gave to groups of friends and the faint scars on his hands. He sighed again.

I'm going to need to protect him, Yukio thought to himself. But first he observed the time and realized he needed to get to bed too. But the bathroom had been occupied for fifteen minutes. How long did it take to finish getting changed?

"Rin, it's getting late!" Yukio shouted while Rin was hogging the bathroom. "Finish getting dressed so I can get in there!" Rin sighed, knowing he always took longer than anyone else would.

Removing his day shirt revealed the chest binder that was always keeping his breasts at bay, hiding them throughout the day and going a great job. Not that Rin had extremely large breasts anyway; they were an A-cup. Placing a comfortable and baggy pyjama shirt on, Rin exited and proceeded to lay in bed and read manga. Yukio's manga. But Yukio was satisfied he could go to the bathroom to dress himself.

Rin was born female. But for as long as he could remember, he was Yukio Okumura's older twin brother.

Shiro Fujimoto had twins, a son and a daughter. People often commented on how lucky he was to get one of each. And then Rin turned two and started abandoning the little dresses her older brother would buy her. She started saying she was a boy. And Shiro was worried.

He took Rin to a doctor. It was the only thing he could think of to do, and that doctor recommended a therapist. And finally, when Rin was around five-years old, Shiro discovered some people believed they were born in the wrong body, and that it was his job to support Rin throughout his transition into a man, just as he was to support Yukio throughout this same transition. Shiro began learning about what it meant to be transgender. And Rin finally felt like he was accepted, and he belonged in his family at the young age of seven.

Rin refused to call himself transgender, though. He was just Rin; Yukio Okumura's older twin brother. So, when Rin hit puberty and received his first menstrual period, a wave of depression hit him. He felt lost; boys didn't get a period. He hadn't even realized it was coming. He had been about thirteen, and other girls his age were getting their periods. But Rin didn't identify as one of them; he always saw himself as one of the guys. It had slipped everyone's mind in their family that Rin was physically female, and his body was protesting to what everyone wanted.

It had just been a few months since Rin had started his period when he grew a stretch mark on his hip. He knew what was happening. He was growing curves and slowly becoming a woman. He didn't want to do that! So finally, Shiro went to the doctor and decided to pay for testosterone injections so he could gain a male-like body and his voice would grow deeper. While the injections helped put a halt to his female body's development, Rin still did receive the odd menstrual period every once in a while.

Yukio knew Rin was biologically female. He couldn't grow up without knowing. Yukio only ever remembered his twin brother. Rin had been saying he was a boy for as long as he could speak. Rin was Yukio's brother; it was as simple as that. But he was aware of the difficulties Rin faced because of this.

"Rin…" Yukio trailed off when he exited the bathroom and saw his brother reading manga. The shorter teen set aside the book, noting the serious atmosphere in the room. "Are you sure you're ready to be making friends so soon?" he asked, sitting down at the end of Rin's bed.

"What do you mean?" Rin asked as he sat up.

"Rin." Yukio sighed. He knew Rin knew what he meant. "Your old friends found out about you and they beat you bloody for it," he added calmly. He didn't want to repeat that incident.

"They didn't beat me bloody," Rin argued, his voice barely audible. He could feel his anxiety growing as he thought about that time.

"Rin, you needed to be taken to the hospital and kept there for three weeks before they were able to release you," Yukio reminded. "And even then, only to a protected facility to recover emotionally and physically while you attended your first year of high school." He hated to remember those days. Rin had been beaten to the point where he was barely recognizable. He had been in a medically induced coma for almost an entire week just to recover more from his injuries. He was still on medication for pain and anxiety until they left for True Cross Academy.

There was silence.

"Well…" Rin trailed off. "What's your point?"

"My point is, are you prepared for them to find out about you and possibly not want to be friends with you anymore?" Yukio asked. They wouldn't beat him. That he knew for sure. But…they may feel betrayed.

"But…they're your friends, right?" Rin asked. "You make friends with good people."

"I do make friends with good people, Rin; they are good people. But they might feel like you've been lying to them," Yukio explained.

"I never lied to anyone," Rin defended. "I'm Rin; your brother. I'm a guy; I always have been and always will be." He huffed, laying in his bed and getting under the covers to look away from Yukio. This was always Rin's way of pointing, ever since they were small children.

"I didn't say you lied; but they might feel like you did," Yukio replied, rubbing Rin's shoulder with a sigh before going to bed himself.

* I was referring to a collection of porn.

** This is actually a true story and it happened to me. Poor little 18-year-old me got up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. My dog peed on the hardwood floor right outside my bedroom door, I slipped and shattered my right kneecap. I'm 21 (I said it was my birthday today, remember?) and I still have to wear a knee brace.

Next Update: September 20th, 2018