Disclaimer: I do not own Blue Exorcist... unfortunately. Warning: slight violence, slight oocness. ###############################

Rin stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans as he walked down the sidewalk kicking stones absentmindedly as he went. His brother had once again shot down his attempt at getting closer, at returning to how they had been before the demons came or Yukio had changed. No matter how hard the half-demon tried he was always shot down by the younger and then his determination and heart was crushed by the sole of his younger brother's shoes as he stomped away mumbling about how Rin should be doing something more productive than annoying him. Yukio didn't know how Rin felt; Rin wasn't watching Yukio like he was a nuclear bomb about to explode at some points and a bug on the bottom of his shoe at others, Yukio's friends weren't forever flinching away when he got mad hoping they wouldn't get burned by Satan's blue flames, and Yukio wasn't the one that felt no knew that he was a worthless chump that would only lose all of the few reasons he lived for.

What was Rin's reasons to live? They were cooking and protecting. Those were what he lived for since he could remember, more so protecting though. Yukio had always been bullied for being smart, for being nice, for helping the teacher or another kid and he had always looked to Rin for comfort, for protection for the mean kids who someday would be nothing but insignificant bugs to him (or at least that's what their 'father' said). Then over the years Yukio wasn't looking to lean on Rin, he wasn't coming in during the night because of a nightmare or hiding in the library with Rin for peace and quiet. Yukio slowly got new friends and played in the open.

That didn't mean that Rin's job stopped though. Rin knew, even if Yukio tried to keep it for him, about the bullies and dealt with them silently after school passing it off as a random fight he had for no reason and his brother never suspected anything.

Rin had always known that Yukio wouldn't need him forever, even if he rarely admitted the fact. In fact he had been dreading the idea of his brother growing up and now that he knew that his brother was a high class exorcist, well Rin knew that his place in life had shifted and he was wondering what he should do now. Suddenly the sound of flesh hitting flesh cause him to stop walking. He listened, whatever fight that was about was really close by.

"Yukio would say, stay out of it, it doesn't involve you." Rin mumbled. "Too bad he isn't here to stop me and even if he was I don't exactly listen to him now do I?"

With that Rin ran in the direction of the fighting, hoping he got there in time to stop anything if the fight happened to be a bully and a child/weak teen. The noise was coming from a nearly empty park. Nearly being that there was only two figures there and by the looks of it the fight was one way. One was a gangster type guy with hair dyed a million and one colors, tattoos running all over his body, and piercings on his ear mouth and eyebrow. He reminded Rin of someone but couldn't put a finger to him. The other person who was lying on the ground bruised... was Yukio!.

"Come on Okumura, where's that tough guy attitude that you always have?" the guy laughed. Rin scowled; now he knew who it was. Atachi Rein was a tough guy drop out that hung around some of the others that Rin had barely associated with during middle school, always picking on the little kids and using dirty tricks to win against all the people around their age. Rin had insulted him and said he wasn't scary to his face multiple times along with having a crowd of many other dropouts around them in many of the confrontations.

"How the hell can he mistake Yukio and me?" Rin muttered. He had promised to stop cursing for Shiemi how almost cried at the words he kept spewing, and as the friend he is to her he would honor that promise as long as he could. Hell doesn't count as a curse right?

"Who are you?" Yukio asked weakly from where he was spitting up dirt. His voice was scratchy probably from screaming, Atachi loved making then scream in pain.

"What you get a case of amnesia along with a case of chicken?" Atachi sneered and kicked Yukio in the ribs making his younger brother curl into a ball groaning.

"No, but I know that you are suffering from severe blindness if you can't tell the difference from him and the one you want to fight. Not to mention you're soon going to be suffering from some internal bleeding for hurting my younger brother." Rin growled coming out from the shadows that he had been standing in for the past few minutes.

"Big brother!" Yukio gasped and the bully turned around. "Wait until the dropouts hear about this! Okumura has a wimpy nerd brother!" he laughed. "Next vacation is going to be real fun."

Atachi walked over to the half-demon cracking his knuckles. Before Atachi had the moment to even raise his fist Rin struck his jaw, the force sending the bully's head snapping back. Rin used that time to kick his legs out from under him. As the bully fell he took Rin to the ground as well. He got up enough to send his knee into the vulnerable spot in Rin's anatomy making him hiss. Rin slammed his fist into the taller guy's stomach hard enough to make him cough up some blood. Rin then used his elbow to slam into his chest. The guy fell to the ground and Rin stood walking towards his brother who was watching with widened eyes. It was then that he felt a hand on his ankle.

"Are you getting weaker? Or are you trying to make sure little brother isn't scared of you?" he heard before he was pulled down hitting his head on a rock. The bully stood up and the body slammed him with his elbow going into his gut deeply Rin let loose a groan. Spitting in Atachi's eye Rin kicked up putting some of his demon strength into it so that the bully would be forced off of him. Using this time Rin and Yukio made a run for it, or really it was a fast limp. Rin put a mental note to finish the guy off later when his brother wasn't looking.

$$$$$$$$$ TIME SKIP TO WHEN THE GET TO THE DORM $$$$$$$$$$$$

Yukio fell on to the bed as Rin leaned against the wall opposite him. "Who was that?" Yukio asked gasping for breath. He stared at his brother and all the wounds that he had gotten from the falls and punching that gangster guy. The wounds looked similar to the ones that Rin had gotten before coming to the academy just lesser with all the training that the elder had been doing lately.

"A drop out that I knew." Rin mumbled. "I said some choice words to him on numerous occasions and seeing how he isn't the brightest bulb in the bunch he mistook you for me. Sorry about that."

"How can you be so casual about some guy wanting you to be injured?" Yukio growled. Rin had a small smile on his face as he shook his head in amusement.

"He isn't the only one, I kind of got used to it after a while." he chuckled and sat down next to the taller on the bed.

"Why do you fight?" Yukio asked.

"It's been years and you just now ask? For a smart person you aren't quick to learn. I fight to protect you and all the other nerds or weaklings that need help." he smirked at Yukio's indignant face.

"That's mean to say." Yukio pouted and Rin laughed long and hard. "What?"

"You're finally acting like yourself again. I was worried." Rin chuckled. Yukio raised his eyebrow.

"What do you mean? Aren't I always myself?" Yukio asked making the older one chuckle again but this time it had a twinge of bitterness in it.

"You didn't notice? You turned into a zombie who lived only for learning, teaching and pushing me away." Rin explained.

"Pushing you away I never-" Yukio's eyes widened as scenes throughout the year of Rin trying to get closer to him again flashed through him. He cringed as he coldly dismissed his brother, insulted him, and in some cases threatened him. "Al this time I've been trying to get stronger to protect you from everything and everyone in this world and all I do is hurt you as well."

"Doesn't matter. But stop trying to protect me, you're taking away my job and reason to live protecting you and all our friends." Yukio's head snapped up.

"All those bullies who didn't look at me anymore after some time. That was you!" he pointed at his older brother. "All those fights you get into and the excuses and the late nights. I should've known you would've pulled something like this! I thought you would stop protecting me if I stopped asking you but that was just me fooling myself wasn't it?"

Rin grinned his fangs glinting in the light, "Of course. You really think that I would let some punk hurt my brother even if it was just mentally?"

Yukio put his hands in his head and sighed. "And what was that about protecting me being your reason to live?"

Rin watched him before standing up and turning away, "I think that's enough for tonight."

The younger caught his arm, "Please big brother. I need to know."

The elder sighed looking into the air and mumbled for a second. Then he turned back to his brother and sat down once more. The younger one made himself comfortable on the bed and gave his twin his fullest attention.

"It's exactly what it sounds like. I'm trash at everything except cooking and even that won't make up for all the things I'm horrible at. If I lose protecting the people I care about I think that I would lose any meaning in my life. I am nothing bro, and I've always known that." the older sighed.

"That's not true Rin." Yukio said.

"Then what pray tell am I good at Yukio? What?" Rin snarled before he realized what he was doing.

"You give people hope. You make people laugh. You relate to everyone. You can make fantastic stories that capture people's attention. You are a symbol of the word unique and everyone loves that about you even Bon." Yukio spoke softly and he stared straight into his brother's eyes as he did so.

"No-" he wasn't given enough time to protest.

"DARN IT BROTHER! CAN'T YOU SEE THAT I LOOK UP TO YOU AND SO DOES EVERYONE ELSE. IT MAY NOT BE FOR BRAINS, BUT YOUR CHARACTER MAKES EVERYONE FEEL SPECIAL ABOUT THEMSELVES AND THAT SHOULD MAKE YOU HAPPY. IF YOU DON'T STOP THIS NONSENSE RIGHT NOW I WILL CALL EVERYONE HERE AND PERSONALLY SHOW YOU HOW MUCH THEY THINK OF YOU WHEN IT COMES RIGHT DOWN TO IT. DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?" Yukio was screaming so loudly that Rin internally thanked the fact that they were alone in the dorm. "I said do you understand me."

Rin nodded sheepishly.

"Good. Now get some rest. Tomorrow we are going to spend some brotherly bonding time together." The brothers could tell you that they had never had such a peaceful sleep before that night, when they yelled everything they were mad about out and started anew.

HELLO! THANKS FOR READING!

WHAT DID YOU THINK?

WAS IT RUSHED?

PLEASE REVIEW!