Ao no Exorcist is getting a second season! I'm all caught up with the latest chapter (chapter 80) but this story will contain no spoliers. So it's a bit of an AU where they all became exorcist and Rin and Yukio continue to live at the dorms due to True Cross wanting to keep a close eye on Rin for a while longer. Hope you enjoy this chapter :)

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Rin sat on his bed reading manga as his tail flicked at the air of the quiet dorm room. It was quiet until he noticed a small tapping sound. He turned towards the door but there was nothing. Again the tapping grew louder and more hurried. He sighed dramatically as he set down is manga and made his way to the source of the noise. The ceiling? The desk? Ah. The window.

The demon approached the window and was met with the figure of a busty crimson haired women crouched and hanging on to something in nothing but shorts, tights, a bikini top, and a light jacket. He near had a heart attack. He came to his senses when he saw her mouth "Open the window, idiot." He slid the window open as she gracefully climbed inside, standing in the center of the room resting her hands on her hips as if she owned the place. He noticed she had a rather thoughtful look on her face.

"Shura, What are you doing here? Why the window?! Why didn't you use the front door?!"

"Oh Where's the fun in that?"

She heavily strutted over to Yukio's bed plopping down in the middle of it laying with her hands behind her head.

"So where's four eyes?" She asked in a dull tone.

Rin was too busy sticking his head out the window looking up and down wondering how on earth she could have gotten up here. There was no ladder, no ropes, no nothing? She couldn't possibly... He snapped himself back to reality and shut the window.

"He thinks he saw her roll her eyes. She repeats her question.

"Oh he said he had some work to pick up."

"Did you need him?"

"Nooo..." she said in a sing song voice as she turned over on her side using her hands as a pillow. This looked much more vulnerable than the sprawled out position she was in before. He couldn't help but notice that she looked... sad. Her eyes never left the carpet.

"Um so Shura..."

She looked up at him.

"Yeah?"

"What made you come?"

There was a long pause after that. She sighed softly.

"I don't know..." her eyes narrowed slightly as if she was trying to read something across the room.

"Four eyes has been acting weird lately and I wanted to know what's up. Has he been acting any different?"

"Oh uh... not that I noticed."

"He's been spacing out a lot. It's not like him you know?... not that I care all that much."

If you didn't care you wouldn't have come, he inwardly pointed out.

"Um well I guess he has been acting a little different."

"Yeah?" Her tone picked up a little.

"Oh yeah I mean... a little."

"Is he sick or something?"

"I don't think so. Has he been that different?"

"I don't know..." the pitch of her voice rose a bit as she looked toward the ceiling for a moment.

"He's just been acting very strange that's all, stranger than usual, you know?"

"The demon noticed her voice had a hint of concern to it, a tone that sounded odd and he guessed even felt foreign on her tongue.

"He'll be alright. There's no need to worry."

"I'm not worried." Her face seemed to betray her somber tone. She looked down noticing a pair of Yukio's shoes nearby, she looked even more sullen for a fraction of a second. Rin almost thought he'd imagined it.

"Well if you see him around," She stretched as she stood with a yawn, "poke him on the moles for me, will ya?"

"Will do." He smiled as she opened the window and climbed out, and disappeared into the autumn evening. He went up to the window a minute later to see that she was gone. Just then his brother entered the room, speak of the

"Hey Yukio!" He settled back on his bed.

"Oh hello Niisan." He pushed up his glasses and set down some papers he had with the other.

"Listen, can we talk for a second?"

"Yeah of course."

"He was taken aback by his brother awkwardly sitting down next to him on the bed (not his usual seat at his desk), wringing his hands in his lap as he stared forward with his usual serious expression. He waited in silence for a long while before his twin finally let out a rather large sigh that made Rin jump a little.

"So... well..." Rin waited with patience as his brother shifted uncomfortably.

"So Shura..." he continued to fidget with his fingers. It seemed as if he was ripping off a band aid. Rin couldn't help but widen his eyes. He waited patiently but the silence stretched on. The younger looked like he was having an inner war on whether to drop everything and flee. Rin really hoped he wouldn't.

"What about Shura?"

"... I'm sorry I don't usually discuss these things but... just hear me out and don't say anything until I'm done and don't laugh." He bit his lip in deep thought.

Rin nodded attentively.

"So... Have you ever had someone that you both admired yet held a great disdain for? You watched them do things you could never with ease and wished not to be them but to be equal with them? An admiration so strong, you'd do anything to even be compared to them?"/div

Rin nodded stiffly, more so in understanding than agreement. He wondered where this was going.

"And yet one day that innocent admiration turns into something troubling and a lot less innocent? You start noticing things you didn't... like their smile, their raw intelligence that is often hidden away, the smell of their hair." His expression was wistful as he looked to the floor.

"One day you realize you can't keep it all in. You can't pretend anymore. The more you pretend, the more you feel sick and in turn lashing out at the person constantly, worse than usual... because that's just how it is. That's how it's always been, you don't know any other way to interact with them. So all the sudden you want to stop pretending but you can't because... it's just becomes... routine to treat them aggressively and reject any other feelings that come after."

The demon blinked for a while, he sure wasn't expecting him to say something like that. Surprised at himself that he even understood all that, the older knew what all this meant. He also concluded that this was probably as much information as he was going to get. Yukio definitely didn't strike him as the kind to confess outright that he liked someone. He held back a grin at the realization that his oh so mature brother had fallen for Shura. It was sweet... bittersweet, he corrected.

The long silence worried the other. The younger braced himself for the laughter and teasing that would likely ensue but was met with none to his surprise. He peaked over at his twin timidly. The demon looked very thoughtful which was a rarity.

He was grateful that Yukio was coming to him about this sort of thing. It felt good to know that he was finally comfortable opening up to him.

"I think it's great that you like Shura!"

"You do?"

"Well it does tickle me a bit." He said with a grin.

"Why?" He finally turned to meet his twin's eyes.

"I mean I kind of always thought you might be... ah-what was the word? Asymmetrical!"

Yukio frowned in confusion for a moment.

"Huh?"

"Like you don't feel that sort of attraction to others."

"Oh. You mean asexual?"

"Oh yeah that! You know, not that there's anything wrong with being that way I'm just a little surprised."

"Well, I do find her beautiful."

Rin looked thoughtful again as he smiled warmly to himself. He was amazed Yukio was confiding in him so honestly.

"I mean of course in her own way!" The younger suddenly began to scramble, "I mean I know she's not the most feminine or conventionally beautiful person but you know... It's more than just the physical things."

"Yeah, I understand. Like what exactly?" Rin's tone was gentle, feeling as if Yukio was a dear finally coming close and if he were too harsh he would scurry away.

"I mean I guess... everything."

Rin smiled even more seeing his brother's expression become painfully troubled.

"I've never heard you sound so passionate about something."

He watched as the younger uncharacteristically ran a hand through his hair aggressively in frustration, getting up to sit on his adjacent bed and rubbing his eyes behind his glasses.

"I just... I don't know what to do. I've never felt like-... I just want it to stop."

Rin was ecstatic that he was opening up but to be completely honest he knew just as much as Yukio did about these things. He was at a loss for what to say.

"How could I fall for someone so obnoxious?" This sounded like he was asking himself more that Rin and the demon had to stifle a small laugh. It had been a while since he'd seen him so distressed.

"How long?" He startled him out of the inner war of conflicts he was having.

"Huh?"

"How long have you had these feelings about Shura?"

"The younger met his eyes for a second before they flickered again to the rug.

"Since always I guess." His hands were nervously playing with the hem of his sweater.

"Ohh.." Rin nodded in understanding.

"It never used to trouble me like this though. Before I could just ignore it, thinking that all of her horrid qualities would outweigh the good but recently I just feel sick around her. I start sweating and shaking and... I'm much harsher than usual, I say really mean things."

"Another sigh.

"I don't even think someone like that would think of me that way and there's the age difference..." Rin nodded thoughtfully. "Which doesn't bother me at all really. I've haven't been able to feel like this about someone my own age anyway."

"You don't think you have a chance?"

"Of course not I mean... there are several things wrong with that picture, Shura having feelings for me." His tone was mocking.

"So what do you plan to do about it?"

"I don't know." He sighed again. "I guess the best thing to do would be to try to get over it."

Rin was frowning now.

"Really? you're just going to give up before trying anything?"

"Oh what Niisan? What do you suggest? Kneel at her feel with roses and confess to her in the schoolyard?"

Rin thought realistically for a moment. Yeah, that would never happen and Shura definitely doesn't seem like the type for that sort of thing. She'd most likely laugh her ass off. The demon felt a bit of a sting at realizing how Shura would ridicule his little brother for his feelings and he glared softly at the thought.

To be honest the same way he couldn't picture Yukio having feelings for someone he damn sure couldn't picture Shura's serpent heart warming up to anyone despite her carefree nature. She seemed like the type to never want to be tied down, the type to never fall victim to something as tedious and unrelenting as love. While maybe she could feel a strong liking for someone, it seemed that's as far as it would go.

"I just wish I could make the feelings go away. It's highly inappropriate of me."

He stared out of the window again, his face sullen and his eyes icy. It seemed that he was crawling back into that protective shell and would soon clam up so Rin leapt for something to say. He crossed the room to kneel in front of his brother looking him in the eyes.

"Listen, it's not inappropriate or wrong of you to have feelings for her, okay? I know sometimes you seem to forget this but you're only human and you can't control who you have feelings for."

The younger met his twin's eyes, feeling comfort in his brother's surprisingly well worded response.

"I definitely don't think you should confess to her right away but I don't think you should give up either. I'm not great with girls but if I were you I would at least try to be nicer to her and squash that habit of being such a stick in the mud around her." Yukio frowned at his brother's choice of words this time.

"Just, you know talk nice and polite with her... I don't know, compliment her or just say something nice."

Something nice; easier said than done really. It was a strange thing, that behind her back he could write a poetic novel about her but to her face he just didn't have anything particularly nice to say. Not like her constant teasing makes things anything better.

"Everything will work itself out." He smiled reassuringly.

"Oh and one more thing."

"Huh?"

The older brought a finger to his face and slowly began to poke each of the three moles on his face individually.

"What was that?"

"Oh nothing." He grinned.