It's September 20th! I got a few compliments about how I kept the characters in character and I really hope this chapter stays true to that. I feel like Rin and Yukio might be perceived as slightly out of character, but I think this would be how they would react in their situations. Just...just read it and let me know 😂
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Blue Exorcist/Ao no Exorcist.
The next morning, Rin slept later than Yukio, as usual. Of course, that had become news to Shima and Suguro when they came by the brothers' dorm to see what the Okumura twins wanted to do for the day. After entering, they instantly saw Rin underneath a mountain of blankets. At eleven.
"Does he always sleep in like this?" Suguro asked with a twitch of his nose and hardening of his eyebrows. So unmotivated. Undisciplined.
"Yeah, he's been like this since we were babies," Yukio replied. Rin always slept late and Shiro made a point to express how much he loved to sleep when he was a baby, though only in the day. He howled all night while Yukio woke early in the morning to greet the day just as Rin was falling asleep. "I'll wake him up." Yukio knelt by Rin's bed, shaking him slightly, causing the shorter teen to mumble in his sleep. Yukio thanked whatever God there was that Rin had put on a baggy pyjama shirt for the night; he wasn't prepared for confrontation about his brother being transgender. Not so soon. He came close to Rin, shaking him further.
"Rin, wake up." Yukio sighed when his brother simply rolled over. "Come on, you went to bed earlier than I did. Time to wake up."
"'M tired," Rin slurred out, but he did sit up in bed and stretch out a bit. Yukio and the others simply watched as the raven-haired teen slumped over to the bathroom after throwing off his blankets. Yukio was relieved the baggy shirt made it almost impossible to spot any figure underneath. And Rin hadn't even noticed the extra people in his dorm.
"Jeez, that was a waste of two minutes trying to get him out of bed," Suguro muttered.
"Maybe he was dreaming of hot babes in a bikini contest," Shima joked, gaining a glimmer in his eye.
"You're projecting again." Suguro rolled his eyes. Yep, Shima was the same as always. Perverted. Always looking for some girl to be with, though he never did get the girl. It was Yukio who was usually fawned over by girls like Shiemi.
"Wet t-shirt contest, actually," Rin announced as he exited the bathroom after getting dressed. He had figured out Suguro and Shima came by while he was in the bathroom and was just grateful Yukio had put his day clothes in there. Sure, it was weird that Yukio did stuff like that, but it had come in handy for this situation.
Yukio rolled his eyes at his brother's remark about dreaming but said nothing. Rin made it clear from a young age that he was interested in women. Shiro and Yukio had accepted this, but not many others in their neighbourhood did. It was troublesome when Rin reached dating age; getting into his fair share of trouble.
"It sounds like we'll get along great, little Okumura," Shima commented with a smirk.
"I'm the older one, jackass!" Rin exclaimed, glaring daggers at the pink-haired teen. Shima only laughed as Suguro looked Rin up and down incredulously.
"You're the older one?" Suguro asked, surprised. No one had explained to him that Rin was the older one. Only Shima had gotten the run-down, and Shiemi already knew that Rin was Yukio's older brother. Both twins nodded.
"I thought the same thing at first," Shima remarked. "It's only strange because he's so short." Rin was roughly the same height as Shiemi and Kamiki, though for Yukio, this wasn't out of the ordinary. While puberty hit him like a brick and he shot up to his father's height, Rin stayed at the average height of a girl. This meant he was short for one of the guys.
"He's just a late bloomer; he'll get taller," Yukio commented, and Rin didn't know if he should be glad his brother defended him or embarrassed by how it had been done.
"Thanks," Rin muttered sarcastically. He didn't want these guys to think he hadn't gone through puberty yet or something. Luckily, his voice was deep enough that no one would question this, thanks to his testosterone supplements. "So, what's on the agenda for today?"
"I suggested the lake," Shima answered. There was a lake not too far from campus where students congregated when they were on break and weren't visiting their families. "We were taking votes. The girls said they're in."
"How would we get there?" Rin asked. He knew it would be fine – his dad had given him a swim chest binder that he could wear underneath a t-shirt.
"It's just a couple blocks away, so we can walk," Suguro answered. "The rich pansy kids all like to drive there for some reason, though."
"Hell, they probably wouldn't even go there without a butler to accompany them," Shima joked. Rin caught on that they weren't fans of the rich students who attended the academy. He knew Yukio wasn't much of a fan either, but he never joked about it. Yukio attended the academy on scholarship, and Rin could gather that the others did as well.
"What about Konekomaru?" Yukio asked. Rin remembered Shima mentioning a Konekomaru coming by that never showed. Well, he didn't get the chance to see him, anyway.
"He isn't going to make it this year," Suguro answered with a sombre expression. "He and I were supposed to come together, but he's having family problems, so he can't make it this year. He's starting a school closer to home. He said he'd try to make the spring semester."
"I'll have to call him and see if he's okay later today," Yukio mused.
"We're gonna go get dressed for the lake," Shima said as he turned to leave with Suguro. "Meet you in a few?" Yukio nodded before the others left the room. He turned to Rin as soon as the door shut behind them.
"Are you sure about this, Rin?" Yukio asked. He was concerned, and it felt like all he had were questions lately. Rin had only ever been swimming in front of their father, the other clergymen of their monastery, and Yukio. When he was younger, he had swum at the public swimming pool once. He had been young enough that Shiro had allowed him to go shirtless. The older Rin grew, the less he swam, and when his other friends discovered his sex, he refused to go near a lake out of fear that he would be discovered again.
"It's been a year, Yukio. I can do this," Rin reassured his brother, digging through the remainder of clothing in his suitcase that he neglected to unpack. Finding his swim shorts and swim binder, he quickly worked at removing his pants. Yukio hastily turned around to avoid seeing anything he would regret spotting.
"How can you be so sure?" Yukio asked. How could Rin be sure that he was going to be fine? That he wasn't going to panic at the sight of the water?
"Because the 'protective facility', as you like to call it, put me through extensive therapy," Rin admitted. "They got me to the point where I can be near swimming pools and lakes; I just can't swim."
Yukio sighed. As a brother, he was protective over Rin. He didn't want to trigger a phobia caused entirely by people that were supposed to be friends. But since he was Rin's brother, Yukio would have to let him make his own decisions. If Rin said he would be fine, Yukio had to trust him.
"Are you absolutely sure you'll be okay?" Yukio asked. "I can suggest we do something else if you want." There would be questions. Tons of questions. But like Rin said, his friends were good people. Yukio was sure if he explained Rin's phobia of swimming, the others would understand.
"I'll be fine," Rin replied in exasperation. "I just can't go swimming. And if someone splashes me, I have my swim binder on."
"Alright," Yukio replied as he turned around after Rin was finished dressing. He wore blue swim-shorts and a tight-fitting t-shirt that was no doubt over his binder. "But I'm still not entirely okay with this. I'll be watching you like a hawk."
"Figured you would."
After the boys finished changing, they met the girls in front of the school before heading to the lake. Rin was slowly getting to know his brother's friends but stayed back when they arrived at the lake. Yukio stayed close to his brother, making sure to keep Rin company while the others swam.
"What's up, you two?" Shima asked when he noticed the brothers weren't engaging in their play. When the pink-haired teen spoke up, everyone's eyes fell on the Okumura twins and how they had yet to get in the water.
"I'm not a big swimmer, I guess," Yukio fibbed.
"Bull; I've seen you swim before," Suguro retorted. "Get your ass in this water." Yukio had spent plenty of weekends at the lake with them before. What was different? Suguro's eyes lingered on Rin. He was different.
"I can't swim," Rin admitted, his blood rising to his cheeks in embarrassment.
"Come on, no way." Suguro couldn't believe that Rin couldn't swim at sixteen-years old.
"I know how to," Rin explained. "I just can't swim. You guys have fun, though. I'm cool with hanging back. You too, Yukio." He didn't want Yukio to not participate in all the fun just because of him.
"What about the shallow end of the lake?" Shiemi suggested. She didn't want Rin to miss out on any of the fun in the same way Rin didn't want Yukio to.
"I'm fine, really," Rin replied. "I don't mind at all." His phobia was his own problem.
"Well, I guess we have no choice," Suguro announced as he climbed out of the lake. Rin got an odd feeling, backing away slightly. When Suguro reached to grab the teen, Rin clung tightly to Yukio. Suguro managed to successfully throw both twins into the water.
Everyone gasped when Rin fell into the water.
When Yukio resurfaced, Rin didn't.
"Rin?!" Yukio exclaimed, searching around the water. "Rin!"
"Okumura!" Reij Shiratori called out from the gate of their monastery. Rin looked out the window of his bedroom. Yukio was out – he didn't know where. His dad was probably downstairs dealing with something in the monastery. The heater had broken down again and they had been working to fix it before winter came along.
Rin smiled, rushing out the door. No one would miss him for an hour or two while he hung out with his friend. He had a friend! And Reiji had friends that Rin also lingered around. He never had friends before; it was Yukio that was his only friend. But now he had friends!
"Hey, Reiji!" Rin greeted when he reached the opened monastery gates. "Where are the guys?" Usually Reiji was congregated with his pack of friends, two other boys who went to their school. This time, though, he was alone.
"I thought we'd all meet together today," Reiji answered. Rin had a strange feeling as the white-haired boy led him to their destination. Something was different in the way his friend was acting. But it wasn't like Reiji was the most normal acting guy. There was a reason he was friends with Rin; he wasn't normal either.
Eventually, Reiji led Rin to an underpass. It was just as Rin would expect one to be; dirty, darker, and slightly echoey. Reiji's other friends stood nearby.
"What are we doing here?" Rin asked with a raised eyebrow. He was getting a strange vibe from his friends. "If you wanted to do graffiti, we should do it somewhere people will actually see our work." Rin liked to rebel against others, which meant breaking the law sometimes. Reiji was the same way, and that's why they became fast friends.
"I figured this would be a good opportunity to play truth or dare," Reiji commented with a sinister grin. Rin's heart pounded in his chest. What was happening?
"Come on, Reiji, truth or dare? That's a girl game…" Rin laughed it off, but he was nervous. He felt a cold sweat rising on the back of his neck. The mood around him was growing even more tense, and somehow it felt like everyone was in on a secret he wasn't apart of.
"I think it's fitting. Truth or dare?" Reiji asked nonchalantly. "Truth? Well, if you insist," he added before Rin had the opportunity to respond. "Are you a girl? Yes or no."
"What?!" Rin exclaimed. No was the obvious answer, but it wasn't the one Reiji wanted to hear. Rin had never thought of himself as a girl, and he never would. Just because his body wanted him to be one didn't mean a thing. "No!"
"Mind if I test the theory?" Without skipping a beat, Reiji ripped at Rin's purple sweatshirt, pulling it off him to reveal a red undershirt. That came off as well, leaving Rin's chest binder on full display. Reiji laughed. "You thought you could fool us all this time?! You freak!"
"Reiji, I swear it isn't like this!" Rin defended. "I'm not a girl, I was just born this way. I'm a boy through and through. Just like you!" His friends were upset. Of course they were; they felt like they were being lied to all this time. But Rin wasn't lying, and he would make sure they knew that.
"You freak, I bet you just dress up this way because you're such a diesel dyke," Reiji retorted. "Couldn't be a normal dyke with your dad being a pastor, so you had to do this, you monster."
"What are you saying, Reiji?" Rin asked. "I'm not a lesbian! I'm just a normal boy, but I wasn't born right."
"Right in the head!" Reiji laughed. "Hold it down, guys," he ordered with the snap of his fingers, and his friends each came to Rin's side to hold down the now thrashing teen. Reiji pulled out a pipe that had been sitting in flames nearby. "I think you and everyone else needs a permanent reminder of what kinda freak you are."
"W-What?" Rin felt his heart beating louder than ever before. Not only was his secret out, but they were going to hurt him? Oh god, he needed to get out of there! Fast! "Reiji, you don't have to do this! We're friends!"
"I'm not friends with any freaks around here!" Reiji exclaimed. "Now when you and I both go to True Cross Academy this year, everyone will know what kind of freak you are." He felt the heat around the pipe. It was ready. "Smile for me, Okumura!"
Rin felt the searing white pain run through him. Reiji had done this. Reiji had just burnt him on his face! He screamed as loud as he could. Maybe someone would come and get him? Probably not. There was so much traffic that he would be lucky if someone heard him cry out. Reiji removed the pipe not long after he had pressed it into Rin's face, but there was no relief. Only pain.
"Dump him in the bucket," Reiji ordered. There was a bucket nearby with god knows what in it, but it was liquid. It resembled murky water one would find in a lake. Before Rin had a chance to get a breath from being burned, he was dumped in the water and held down.
They can't do this! Rin thought to himself. We're friends!
But they weren't friends. How could they be? Rin knew what he was; he knew he wasn't quite a boy or a girl. He was just some halfa that spread misery with everyone he met.
As the water filled his lungs, his vision went black.
When Yukio found his older brother under the water, he pulled him up, able to slap him onto the ground, safely out of the water. He pulled himself up and cursed to himself when he found Rin was unconscious. He must have passed out from the shock. He probably took in water.
"Rin, turn over on your side for me," Yukio instructed, though he knew he wouldn't get an answer. He started chest compressions to get the water out of his lungs before forcefully rolling his brother onto his side, allowing the teen to cough up the water that had been trapped in his lungs. He started breathing easier after that, and Yukio sighed in relief.
"Look, man, I'm sorry about that," Suguro apologized. He had thought Rin was just making stuff up and that he needed to swim. That he was being a baby around everyone. But the kid had fought so hard. He panicked with everything he had, and Suguro felt badly as he stared down at this kid he just met. "I really didn't think he would panic so badly."
"Rin has a phobia of water," Yukio explained. He wouldn't say too much, but he would let them all understand this matter was not to be taken lightly. He trusted his friends with this much information and knew Rin would too. "He's afraid of lakes, beaches, swimming pools, and especially…large buckets of water." Yukio wished he could have helped his brother, so this never would have happened. But it had, so protecting him was all he could do.
"I didn't know, man; I'm sorry." Suguro knew saying sorry wouldn't do anything, especially not when he was saying it to Yukio. He needed to apologize to Rin.
"We should probably take him back to the dorm," Shima suggested. While they had only just arrived and really didn't have the opportunity to play around, one of their friends – however new he was – had been hurt. "When he wakes up we can do something else before the day is over. Without water."
"Thank you all for understanding, but you don't need to leave on our account," Yukio replied. Rin hadn't wanted to ruin the fun for his friends by doing this, and he would feel horribly if everyone left because of him. "Rin would want you to stay and have fun."
"No, we need to go back with you," Shiemi insisted, and Yukio was surprised. It was rare for her to be so forceful. She was just a tiny shy girl who had been home-schooled all her life until attending the academy.
"Thank you." Rin would have been so happy if he could see the friends he had gained.
Rin awoke in his bed in a sea of calm. He moved to pull at his shirt, a habit he had started ever since wearing his chest binder. But he felt breast. His binder was gone. In a panic, Rin sat up as his mind began to race, searching for the object that protected him from the ridicule of others.
"Lay back down," Yukio instructed from where he sat in a chair beside the bed. He placed a hand on Rin's shoulder, gently pushing him back down into bed. He didn't want Rin overexerting himself so soon after having a panic attack and inhaling water. Rin complied, exhausted, but he was still panicking.
"What happened?" Yukio could hear the unspoken question. Did they find out? He was terrified of what would happen if they found out. Like…Reiji.
"No, they didn't find out. We brought you here when you were unconscious, but I didn't change you until everyone was gone," Yukio explained. He had been so worried with Rin's swim binder compressing his chest while there could still be lingering water residing in his lungs. He had been relieved to get the thing off his brother. "The others said they would visit when you were feeling better. Suguro wanted to apologize.
"Great," Rin replied, getting up and rushing to his wardrobe, pulling out a fresh chest binder and changing into it. Yukio averted his eyes. He didn't like seeing Rin's breasts. They were so…odd. His big brother wasn't supposed to have those.
"I'd rather you keep it off," Yukio admitted. "You inhaled some water and I want you to get out some of it before you push on your chest like that." Rin was about to respond when they were interrupted by a knock on the door. Yukio stood and opened the door.
"Is your brother alright?" Rin heard Suguro ask. He whipped his head toward the door, pulling on a t-shirt as Yukio opened it wider so the teen could come into the room, Shima trailing in behind him. Suguro and Rin stared at each other for what seemed like forever. "I'm sorry about what I did. I had no idea you would freak out like that. Okumura…told us about your phobia of water." Rin tensed. How much did they know?
"We wanted to see if you were up to doing something," Shima brought up. "The day is still young, after all." Well, it wasn't as young as it had been. They didn't have long to celebrate together before curfew.
"Sure," Rin answered. He still felt exhausted from his earlier ordeal, but he did want to make better friends with these people. They could very well be his friends for the next few years.
"We'll do something without water," Shima added. Rin felt a pang of guilt. He was limiting their options simply because of his phobia
"Listen, you guys…" Rin trailed off. "I'm sorry for freaking out. I don't really remember much of it. I must have blacked out. I didn't mean to ruin your fun or anything."
"The only person who ruined the fun was me," Suguro spoke. "I'm so sorry; I had no idea you were like that with water." He wondered if it had something to do with the scar on Rin's face, but kept his thoughts silent.
"Its fine; I'm alright," Rin replied with a smile. Suguro had apologized. Reiji never did that. "Water is a silly fear anyway."
After definitive plans were made, the four headed toward the girl's dorms, having texted them once plans had been set to pick them up. Shiemi had been worried and was grateful to have the opportunity to see the oldest Okumura.
"So, little Okumura," Shima began as the four headed toward the girls' dorm.
"Just call me Rin," he groaned out. There was no way he was going to spend the next few years being called 'little Okumura'. Especially not when he was the older one!
"Okay, Rin," Shima corrected. He felt a bit awkward calling someone he just met by their first name, but the kid had given him permission. He shrugged off the awkwardness. "Do you have as good of grades as Yukio over here?" He was trying to change the subject after everyone was so awkward about the water incident.
"Not really," Rin answered. The distraction was a success.
"Oh, come on; grades are all about genetics," Shima retorted. "And you guys are twins, so you should definitely have the same smarts!"
"If that were true, you'd have amazing grades like your two eldest brothers," Yukio commented. Rin had never had the same smarts as Yukio, but he was street smart where Yukio wasn't. He was smart in his own way and had studied his ass off to get into True Cross Academy.
"But my older middle brother and I had nearly the same grades when he came here," Shima retorted.
"How many brothers to you have?" Rin asked with curious eyes.
"Just four," Shima answered as if it were no big deal. To him, it wasn't.
"Do you live with all of them?" Shima nodded, a bit confused at the question. Didn't all brothers live together? "That's amazing! I always wanted another sibling to live with besides Yukio, but I don't think our dad could have kids even if he wanted to," Rin ranted.
Rina and Yukio had two older half-brothers they knew. Their oldest brother, Mephisto, was grown by the time they were even born, and was the headmaster of their academy. Amaimon was raised by Mephisto and he was only a few years older than them, but they never lived together.
"If your dad can't have kids, how the hell are you here?" Suguro asked. "Don't tell me you believe the whole 'finding in a cabbage patch' story still," he added, rolling his eyes.
"We're adopted," Yukio admitted. He never found the need to tell his friends, so they didn't know. "Our mom and dad were best friends, and I guess when she couldn't take care of us, he adopted us for her."
"Oh…" Suguro trailed off. He was not doing well with Yukio ever since his brother had come along. "Shit; sorry."
"It's not a sensitive subject or anything," Rin commented. Neither brother ever cared they were adopted before. They had a father and a house full of people who loved them. And they had their older brothers. "It's not like we were attached to her at a few minutes old."
"You ever think of meeting her?" Shima asked. He didn't think he could go without wanting to meet one of his parents if they were gone.
"Nope," Rin answered simply. He and Yukio had discussed it with their father for years, and the three of them decided they weren't ready to do that just yet. They expressed interest in her when they were smaller, but as they got older, they just weren't interested anymore. Rin rejected the very idea of a mother while Yukio didn't think he needed to have one since he already had so much family to love.
Their conversation was halted when they reached the girls' dorm and found Kamiki and Shiemi's room. When they knocked, Shiemi thrusted the door open, her face full of worry, and finally relief when she saw Rin was standing with the others seeming perfectly fine.
"Oh, Rin!" Shiemi exclaimed. "I was worried about you after the lake. I'm so glad you're alright!" Rin was surprised that someone he just met would act so worried about him. Yukio, however, was not surprised at this. Shiemi cared about everyone she met.
"Thanks, but there's really no need to worry," Rin replied, laughing it off. "I'm just sorry that I messed up the last day before school for you."
"Again with this?" Suguro asked. "It was my faul-"
"We still have tonight until curfew," Shima interrupted. "Let's head out before we have to squander our youth."
"You all go," Kamiki said, stepping back from the others. She had remained in her dorm room when Shiemi left it while the others never entered, but she was still visible through the open doorway. "I have some last-minute things to do before tomorrow and I want to call Paku before lights out."
"Sure thing; we'll see you tomorrow," Shima replied. The group of four that had now expanded to five headed toward the empty courtyard of the school. With students returning to their dorms and preparing for the first day of school, there was virtually no one in sight.
Rin smiled as he watched his brother engaging with the others. They were all laughing and smiling – enjoying themselves.
This must be what having friends is like… Rin thought to himself. I never knew because I didn't have any.
"Rin," Yukio spoke, getting his brother's attention. An hour had gone by before he knew it, and it was time to return to their dorms. "Let's go."
"Sure thing," Rin replied with a smile he thought would never go away.
Next Chapter: October 20th, 2018