Disclaimer: I don't own Blue Exorcist, or any of the characters used in this fic. They all belong to Kazue Kato. I only own any of my original characters that I choose to include, as well as any of my own original plot ideas.
My Brother's Keeper
"For Rin... Do it for Rin..."
That's what he had told himself on every day, after every lesson that had made him want to forfeit and live a relatively normal life as a boy. But how normal could he be with his brother a demon, himself tainted by that blood at birth? They should have been two growing boys, getting into trouble together, lying to those who watched over them, keeping secrets between themselves. But with their lineage, the way they had come into the world, there was nothing like normal.
In comics, movies, and on television, he'd seen a recurring factor with brothers and sisters. The older one almost always watched over the younger one.
With the two of them, it was different, more realistic. He would be picked on, tormented, because of his smarts, because of a gift he'd been given and developed. Then he'd hear that dumb battle cry, that "Leave my brother alone!" as Rin charged like he was leading a cavalry to the death.
Yukio couldn't do that. He couldn't be headstrong and stubborn like his twin. He could only sit by and make sure Rin understood their homework, even if he'd turn around minutes later to him fast asleep. He wasn't a fighter, a true warrior, like Rin.
Then his chance came with their Father and those lessons and truths. Tears they'd torn from him, but returning the favor with a will of iron and a skill that could potentially become unmatched. A means of protection, their Father had called it, for himself and his hotheaded older brother.
So when those tears threatened him, Yukio would remind himself of that idea, the desire to live a happy, normal life. That, without his ability, there could come a time that Rin was lost and powerless, with no one around to save him. He'd cried, and he'd promised that, for his brother, he'd bleed as Rin had done for him.
For, without one, the other was entirely alone.