Well, here's chapter two. The boys are going to have a long talk. Well, this is going to go well.

Disclaimer: Wolf doesn't own Blue Exorcist, she only owns her OC's.

Chapter 2: Friends and Secrets

"This place is still the dump that I remember." Ryou joked when he saw the old boy's dorm.

"You had to stay here?" Rin asked.

"Second half of my training. Is Ukobach still here?"

"He cooked for you, too?"

"Forgetting that I can't cook worth a damn?"

Yukio laughed. "Come on, we have a lot to talk about."

The boys nodded as they all headed inside. They headed for the kitchen and dining area, where they heard a familiar chittering noise of the aforementioned familiar.

"Hey, Uko, how's it going?" Ryou greeted the little demon.

The cooking demon chattered something along the lines of "Hi, Ryou, welcome back!"

"Since you're here, Ukobach, think you can make us some snacks. Me and the twins have some catching up to do." Ukobach nodded and went to work.

The boys went into the dining area and sat down. The twins sitting across from Ryou. A somewhat awkward silence fell over the group. Rin was particularly fidgety, he had a lot of questions and wasn't sure where to start. Not to mention Yukio was wondering what kind of mess Ryou had gotten into while they were gone.

Ryou sighed. "If you have something ask, then ask."

Rin asked the first question that came to his head. "Why weren't you at Dad's funeral?"

Ryou clenched his hands under the table, like he was trying to ignore the pain in his heart. "Like a told Yukio a few minutes ago, I didn't even know he was dead until a few days ago. Mephisto said there had been a communication mix up, but I don't buy it."

"Where were you?"

"I was on a mission near Akita. Then I was asked to report to the Vatican."

"What happened this time?" Yukio asked, being torn between worry and exasperation.

"I didn't have a choice, okay!" Ryou finally snapped, making the twins jump. "The demon we were chasing was stronger than we thought it was going to be. Two of my teammates were injured and I had lost my sword in the fight! I had to use my powers, it was the only way we were getting out of there alive!"

Ryou panted after his outburst and put his face in his hands. He hated the feelings inside him right now. The biggest emotions were regret and anger, mainly because of the last time he and Shiro had seen each other. Some words were said, and now he couldn't take them back.

He thought he heard someone get up and then he was tackled in a hug for the second time. Rin didn't say anything, just held him.

Ryou was surprised, but he smiled returning the hug. "Thanks, Rin."

"Can I ask one thing?" Rin asked, pulling back to look at him. "How come you moved out of the monastery?"

Ryou sighed. "Father Fujimoto was so set on keeping everything a secret from you, I figured maybe it would be best for me to put some distance between us."

"I thought it had something to do with the fight you guys had a month before?" Yukio spoke up.

"What fight?"

Ryou sighed again. "I wanted to tell you the truth. About what we are and about the exorcists."

"You knew?" Rin whispered, looking shocked and slightly hurt.

"Yeah, because I'm kinda in the same boat as you."

"What do you mean?"

Ryouichi looked Rin right in the eye. "You're not the only one who's part demon."

That brought everything to a halt. "I'm the son of Belial, Satan's right hand man and one of the kings of Gehenna."

Things were quiet for a long time after that, none of the three boys knowing what to say. Guilt had come back on Ryou at full force when he saw the look on Rin's face. He looked hurt and betrayed, and he didn't blame him for that.

Ryou sighed. "I'm sorry, Rin. I wanted to tell you the truth, but I was in a lot of trouble at the time."

"Trouble?" Rin finally looked at him.

"Do you remember some guys ever coming to the monastery?"

He took a moment to think about that. "Now that you mention it, I remember coming home late one day and saw the Old Man talking to some guys in long coats. I thought they were the police. Later, Dad said he had to go on an emergency trip and didn't know when he was going to be back."

"Yeah, those were exorcists from Vatican Headquarters," Ryou explained. "They needed him to come to my trial as a witness."

"Your trial?" Rin looked even paler than normal.

Ryou didn't like talking about it, but he had to get everything out into the open. "While out on a camping exercise with my class, we were attacked by a high level demon. Three of my classmates were hurt, one was unconscious, and our instructor was being forced into a corner. I was forced to use my flames."

"Your flames?" Rin perked up.

Ryou looked around, like he was checking to make sure the coast was clear. Then, he held out his hand, palm up, and closed his eyes in concentration. Suddenly, green flames danced across his palm.

"Whoa." The older Okumura breathed.

Ryou opened his eyes and the flames dispersed. "Yeah, Belial's signature is green flames. Anyway, I was forced to use them and I nearly went crazy because of using too much power at once."

"You looked like you were gonna keel over afterward." Yukio added.

"Naturally, when the Vatican found out about what happened, they arrested Mephisto, thinking it was some kind conspiracy against the Order. I was apparently main evidence. I barely remember the first half of it because I was still out of it. They debated, Mephisto worked his silver tongue, and I was given an ultimatum; Pass the authorization exam with full control of my flames, or I die."

"Seriously?" Rin all but whispered.

Ryou nodded. "The threat's still up, even after I passed. I lose control again, the exorcists have orders to kill me on the spot."

This brought about another round of silence, both brothers trying to take all this in. It's not everyday your childhood friend tells you they're basically a dead man walking.

"What does all this have to do with your fight with Dad?" Yukio finally spoke up.

"Like I said, I was in trouble and I couldn't afford to make waves. However, I wanted to tell you the truth, so that when shit hit the fan you'd be ready for what was coming."

Flashback

"Shiro, this is a bad idea!"

"It's for the best."

They were in the hallway that had windows that overlooked the front gate. Shiro had asked him to teach Rin swordsmanship, and somehow it had ended up here.

"His powers are getting stronger everyday! Eventually the seal won't be enough!" Ryou argued. "When that happens, demons of all kinds are going to come after him!"

"I know!" Shiro conceded, but he stayed firm. "But at least this way he can have a normal life!"

"Secrets don't stay buried forever! Eventually, they come to light! Rin's going to find out one way or another! How do you think it's going to look to him if he finds out because he gets attacked and you kept your mouth shut!"

"We'll deal with that if it comes to it!"

"You mean 'when,' because it's gonna happen! You guys are willing to accept him, but others won't, especially when they find out exactly who he gets his demon blood from! That's a lesson I quite recently had to learn the hard way! You think my classmates like the fact I have the power of the Green Flames?!"

Shiro didn't say anything to that, but Ryou took his silence to mean that he wasn't changing his mind.

He huffed and turned to leave. "I'll teach him swordsmanship, but only because I don't want him to be a sitting duck when things go wrong. Rin deserves to know the truth about what he is."

He walked off, not knowing that Yukio had heard the whole thing, and deep down both knew that Ryou was right.

Present

"I'll admit that the fight probably gave me the push to think about finding my own place." Ryou confessed.

"Alright, my final question," Yukio let loose a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Why did Sir Pheles finally call you back?"

"To tell me I still had a job as Rin's protector. At least until he master's his flames."

"... I'm sorry." Came a soft whisper from Rin.

The two boys turned to see the older twin crying, which took them aback. "I'm sorry I've always been such a burden…"

Ryou stared at him, before patting him on the shoulder. "Rin, you have nothing to apologize for. Sure, you're a pain in the ass to deal with sometimes, but we'd do it all over again. You know why?"

Rin looked up at him. "Because you're family, and we love you."

The older twin stared at him for a moment before laughing lightly, wiping away the tears. "God was that mushy."

"I always go for the popcorn at this part." Ryou agreed, and all three started laughing.

"Speaking of snacks," Yukio spoke up. "Ukobach's done!"

At the mention of the little demon, he appeared with a plate of chocolate cupcakes.

"Cupcakes!" Ryou's eyes had stars in them at the sight of the food.

"Control yourself!" Yukio hissed.

"That's like asking a hurricane to change course." Rin responded.

All three of them laughed again, long and loud. As they finally started eating, Rin's cell phone went off. When he went into the hall to answer it, Ryou gave Yukio a serious look.

"You know, you never gave me an answer."

Yukio paused when he was about to take a bite. "Kinda didn't have a chance, since the same day you ended up arrested."

Ryou sighed. "How long are you gonna keep me waiting for an answer of any kind?"

Yukio looked down with a slight blush, not sure what to say. Before he could say anything, Rin came back into the room. They went back to previous conversations, like nothing had been said.

There may have been no more secrets, but now there was a hidden awkwardness.

Chapter two's now done and it's almost midnight. At least it's done, so that settles this talk, hopefully we'll get into the action next time. Read, review, and stay tuned.

Happy Independence Day! (For Americans)