It had only been two weeks since the Okumuras' battle with Satan. So much had changed in the days leading up to their showdown with the King of Gehenna and things seemed to have changed back to normal just as quickly. Classes had started back up at True Cross, Mephisto was the headmaster again, Yukio was bumped back down to Exorcist First Class and resumed his teaching position at True Cross, and the balance between the worlds of Assiah and Gehenna finally seemed to be going back normal. Well…as normal as could be expected at the academy.
Today's lesson in Yukio's exorcism class was learning how to create a devil's trap to restrain demons after they've possessed a person's body, which had gone…alright…until Mr. Instructor Extraordinaire wanted them to practice drawing them on the chalkboard.
Bon, in typical fashion, teased Rin's best efforts. "Heh, looks something a first grader would draw. Geez, you'd think the son of Satan could do better than THAT!" he smirked, gloating over his own perfect looking trap.
Naturally, Rin couldn't let that pass, "It doesn't matter what it looks like as long as it works, asshole!" the teen growled, snapping the poor piece of chalk in half. "You think a demon's just gonna sit there and wait patiently while you try to draw the 'perfect trap'?! Get real!"
Before a proper pissing contest could escalate between the two, Yukio got between them and told them if they didn't shut up, they were both getting zeros for the day. Then Rin and Bon began to argue about whose fault it was until Yukio told them to return to their seats and they grumbled back and forth all the way back to their desks then continued whispers insults to each other for the remainder of the lesson. Yukio looked like he was trying his best to resist strangling the both of them.
Maybe it was what they had gone through as a class, or the shock of everything being so normal, or maybe just the sound of Shiemi and Konakomaru chuckling fondly in the background, but before too long all of them were doubled over their desks, laughing hard enough to bring Shima to tears. It was a relieving sound, like the unwinding of a taut wire. It was the sound of people basking in regular life…precious…demon free regular life.
Since it was apparent that none of them were concentrating on the lesson anymore, Yukio decided to let them go early, but assignment an extra chapter of their weekend reading to make up for lost time, which no one but Rin seemed to mind. Now, the twins were headed back to their private dorms.
Despite the secret of Rin and Yukio's heritage being more or less out in the open, neither Mephisto nor the other professors demanded that they be completely integrated into the rest of the student body. Yukio claimed it was because they would still be considered targets if Satan's followers ever tried to cross the gates of Gehenna again and the school officals didn't want to put the "normal" students at True Cross at a greater risk. Rin liked to think of it was their reward for saving the world. Leaving the brothers be seemed to be the closest thing they'd get to a "thank you" around here. Either way, they were alone, and that suited them fine for now.
"So what'cha want for dinner tonight?" Rin asked, tail gently swaying back and forth as they strolled the grounds, holding his bag up behind his head. The sun was shining today, and there was a light breeze. Despite the few boarded up windows and beat up looking light posts, the school grounds certainly didn't look like they were flooded with demons less than a month ago. The same easy slump of his shoulders and cheeky smirk flashed over towards Yukio, who was staring off into space.
"Ukobach's getting antsy to make stewed leaks…again, if we don't actually pick somethi-"
"Rin…"
Yukio's soft voice, subdued and beaten, cut him off. Rin turned to look and wished he hadn't. The look on his face was the OTHER reason Rin was grateful for their privacy. There were a lot of things left unsaid after the Gehenna Gate incident. It was hard enough getting his soft-spoken brother to open up about anything before, now it was like talking to a brick wall. A brick wall afraid of its own shadow…things were complicated.
Yukio looked ready to stir the pot, but an official sounding voice cut it off before it could begin.
"Exorcist First Class Yukio Okumara?" It belonged to a middle aged man in a long black trench coat. He had sunglasses and the stone faced demeanor of a Vatican official. Rin frowned, subconsciously stepping in front of Yukio's mildly surprised face. They had been exonerated of their alleged transgressions against the church after saving the freakin' world, but Rin felt his hackles rising all the same. They had also been promised some recoup time. If they were planning on sending Yukio out on an assignment already, they had another thing coming!
He glared sullenly at the guy, tail swinging ferociously. "Yeah? Who's askin'?!"
For a split second, the officer's shoulders rose in recoil. Fear… Both boys felt a stab of pain in their hearts. Their secret was out, but it was still hard to swallow when some people treated them like monsters…treated them BOTH like monsters. Yukio rolled his eyes and pulled himself around front with a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Rin, knock it off."
He turned back to the officer and saluted, "I'm Yukio Okumera, sir."
The man straightened again and returned it.
"I've been assigned to deliver this to you and Exwire Rin Okumera." He reached into his jacket and rummaged around for a small white envelope. Rin's tail perked up in curiosity, his mistrust very slowly fading.
"Huh? Me too?"
The officer ignored him and held the envelope out to Yukio, who stared at it in confusion for a moment. He slowly started to reach for it.
"Inside is a key to Ernest Egan's estate."
"What?!" Yukio took a step back and bumped into Rin, who was peering over his shoulder. Both brothers stared at the envelope in equal part surprise and disgust.
Yukio's shoulder's shook with a quiet rage. "What do you think we want with that bastard's estate?!"
Rin glanced over in shock. Outbursts like that from his twin didn't happen very often….
The officer seemed equally taken aback, but did not withdraw the hand holding the envelope.
"Mr. Egan's passing has left the church with a considerable estate containing large amounts of property. Due to the….." he looked between them, "….questionable circumstances surrounding his final days, the Vatican does not wish to maintain the property left behind. As his only living kin, the laws of the church dictates that you two be allowed first denial of any of his personal effects, should you choose to take -"
"We refuse." Yukio marched past him, making his way towards the dormitory, leaving the other two behind in stunned silence. Rin stared at his back in confusion, then turned to frown at the envelope in the officer's hand and snatched it away quickly.
"I'll take it then!"
The officer took a better look at Rin's lashing tail and almost instinctually wiped his hand on his jacket in disgust, but seemed to catch himself. He coughed and frowned back indignantly at the two demon brother's rudeness.
"You will have access to Egan's estate until Sunday. Any property left inside will fall into the possession of the church and be…disposed of. Also, the Vatican wishes to remind you that any items deemed unsafe will be required to-"
"Yeah, yeah! Sunday, got it!" Rin was already running off after Yukio, ignoring the last part of the officer's tirade.
The man groaned and wiped a hand over his sunglasses, turning the opposite way out of sight.
"Damn demon brats…"
It didn't take more than a minute for Rin to catch up to his twin, who was completely, and purposely, ignoring his shouts to stop.
"Yukio! Hey quit running away and talk to me!"
Nothing. If anything, the boy started walking faster. If there was one thing that pissed Rin off, it was being ignored by his own brother.
Sprinting the last few steps, he put both hands on Yukio's shoulders and spun him into the wall of a storage shed near their dorm. The twins' eyes met, but instead of the blank stare he'd been expecting, his brother's face was twisted into a furious glare.
"What were you thinking, Rin?!" It wasn't a shove, just a whip of his arms to dislodge Rin's.
Disbelief, and now anger, flashed over his face, right before Rin threw his hands up in exasperation.
"What the heck are you talk-"
Yukio was inches away from his face, yelling and frantic and more upset than he'd remembered seeing him in a long time…not since Dad died.
"What on Earth could you possibly hope to gain by going there?! As far as I'm concerned that bastard isn't even our grandfather!"
Rin just sighed and tried to play it off with a carefree shrug of his shoulder, disconcerted with this unusual agitation from Yukio.
"Yeah, well, he may not be our family, but Yuri was our mother! Don't you want to see the place she grew up? Aren't you even a little bit curious?"
That got a pause, Rin started to smile, hoping it was working.
"Come on, you're telling me in that whole giant ass house there's nothing of hers left behind? We have to check it out!"
Yukio turned away from his brother, wrapping his arms around his stomach.
"I can't go in there…knowing what he did to her...what he almost did to you!" What I almost did to you….
Rin growled and grabbed his brother by the collar, "Ya know, I'm getting sick of you treating me like I'm made of glass or something! What happened to the guy that used to mess with me and get mad and give me crap when I fall asleep in class? Did he fall into the gate with Satan?"
"Watch it, Rin…" Yukio muttered, grabbing his brother's wrists.
"No! When are you gonna snap out of this funk? When am I going to get my brother back?!"
"Rin, enough!"
"What's wrong with you?! Are you gonna try to deny your human half now that you've realized your part demon?! Well I got news for you, idiot!" He paused again…staring into his twin's frantic eyes… "If you try to reject either half of yourself….You'll end up losing everything you are!"
Yukio knew his brother's words were true, which only made them sting that much more. Without thinking, he took a swing at Rin.
Rin caught his wrist. Yukio tried his other hand and Rin caught that one too. Yukio tried to wiggle out of his brother's grip, but Rin held his wrist firmly and gingerly lowered them to his side.
"You think you're the only one at fault here?!" Rin sputtered. "We both made mistakes, but there's no taking it back! All we can do now is find a way to live with it and move on."
"How can you ask me to just move on?!" Yukio shouted, tears of anger burning at the corners of his eyes. "Ever since we were kids, all I wanted to do was protect you. I promised Dad I would keep you safe. But in the end, I failed. Because of me…" he bit his lip, fighting back tears. "BECAUSE OF ME YOU ALMOST DIED RIN! I ALMOST KILLED YOU!" he screamed in anguish and grabbed his bother by the shoulders, gripping him tight. "That's why…that's why I can't go there, Rin. It would just be another reminder that I failed you. You and Dad." Yukio dropped his head and his voice softened to almost a whisper, "I was so desperate to have a normal family, I nearly lost the only family I have left."
Rin gently removed his brother's hands from his shoulders and bent his head to meet his brother's gaze. "You idiot. You think you were the only one taken in by that bastard's lies? He fooled everyone, and in case you didn't notice, we both made it out just fine. Sure, our life may not be perfect. This world is all kinds of messed up and we may not have found our place in it. But…" he smirked. "I don't know about you, but our friends…and Dad…they were worth all the hell this world's put us through."
Rin voice suddenly rose in ferocity, "And Mom died to bring us into this world, dammit! So I think the least we could do is try to learn a little more about her. Now, I'm going tomorrow. If you don't want to come along then fine, but don't you dare try to stop me! You got that?!"
Two tears fell, but Yukio still nodded and watched his brother walk inside. The twins spent the rest of the evening in silence.