"This is all my fault.." Yukio said, his eyes on his clenched fists.
"It doesn't matter who's fault it is!" He shook his head, fresh tears falling onto his trousers.
"Nii-san, Shiemi will look after you, Shura will stay with you for awhile, and Mephisto has offered to move you into a regular dorm with your friends when you get adjusted to... the change."
"To you being dead! To me not having family anymore! Quit trying to make this easier. Just say it how it is dammmit! You are gonna leave me alone here..." Rin cried. Yukio reached his hand out to comfort his brother. "Shura said you didn't even defend yourself... Is that true Yukio?"
"Yes Rin..."
"Why?!"
"I didn't want them looking closely at it and seeing you as a threat too."
"So you're just trying to be cool again? Is that it?!"
"Rin calm down," Yukio said. Rin slapped his hand off his shoulder and stood, tears falling as he glared at his only living family.
"You don't get to say anything to me you jerk," Rin turned on his brother and walked out of the room.
"Shit," Yukio muttered, holding his head in his hands. Mephisto pranced in as a little white terrier.
"Most unfortunate," he said in his odd doggy voice. He poofed and re-emerged as his clown clad self, holding a key in his hand. "While I cannot betray the order and just let you escape, I can allow you to at least say goodbye from beyond these bars," he offered, unlocking the gate and swinging it open for him.
"You are so frustrating!" Shura yelled as she walked in the door, grabbing him around the neck.
"Shura what are you doing?"
"Just shut the hell up," she growled. It was at times like these Yukio was certain she had demon blood in her somewhere. She pushed him into a cutout in the wall, shadows cast across his face from where the wall beside him blocked the light. Her forearm across his chest her pink eyes gleamed, wet as if with tears but fierce enough to strike fear into any man's heart. "When were you going to mention you were on trial for your life?" His gaze was to the ground, not wanting to look her in the eyes. She used her other hand to make him look at her. "Had you told Rin he could end up without his last piece of family?"
"No."
"Why the hell did you keep that a secret? It's no wonder you walk around looking like you're sick to your stomach, but I only know that now that Arthur told me! You are such an ass, Yukio!"
"There was no reason to tell you. You can't do anything."
"The hell I can't."
"What will you do, Shura? You know as well as I do, they have a verdict in their heads already and nothing you or I say or do is going to change that," he said, his voice raising as he glared at her.
"Defensive chicken!"
"Shut up!"
"Make me!" Yukio just stared at her, "I'm waiting."
"Get away from me Shura," he said in a tone that was calm but frighteningly intense.
"You say you wanna protect people but you're nothing but a coward!"
"What do you want from me!?"
"I want you to feel something! You act distant and detached like you don't care."
"Well, I don't have much time before the trial, I should get going."
"Oh no you don't," she said, applying more pressure to his chest. She yanked his glasses off and threw them on the ground, crushing them beneath her boot. "Do you want to die Yukio?"
"No."
"Why?"
"What the hell does that even mean?"
"Why do you want to live?"
"To protect Rin."
"That's pathetic."
"Compared to you? What do you live for?"
"Do you do anything for yourself?"
"Why does that matter?!"
"Because it's what puts you in danger!"
"Protecting people does not put me in danger."
"Yes it does four eyes. How easy was it for Egin to get you on his side by lying to you about helping Rin?"
"That's different," he muttered.
"No it's not. A demon could come along and say the same kind of thing and you would let it in because you're delusional!"
"Shut up!"
"You think you're helping people but do you know how much it would hurt Rin to lose you? Do you know how screwed up he would be? And Moriyama? Do you even care?!"
"I said shut up!" Shura grabbed the back of his head, pressing her lips to his and pulling away quickly.
"Do you even care how it would hurt me, four eyes?" She released him and walked away from the speechless exorcists without another word.
"What the hell..." Yukio muttered.
"Miss Moriyama asked me to allow you and Shura to have a more personal goodbye," Mephisto said having returned to his dog form once again. "It is most unfortunate things have come to this my younger brother." With that the small terrier trotted out of the room. Yukio sat back in the corner, resting his head against the cool stone. His glasses, jacket and tie had been removed and he proceeded to untuck his shirt.
'I'm going to die,' was the last thought that went through his head before his consciousness slipped.
When he woke up he realized he was no longer resting against the wall. His head was against something warm. He rubbed his eyes, he didn't have his glasses so he couldn't see exactly what was going on but he pieced together a general idea. Rin was holding him, almost painfully tight, and sleeping soundly in the corner Yukio had fallen asleep in. He smiled at his drooling brother.
"Well, I guess a bright side to all this is I can sleep more than four hours tonight," Yukio said bitterly to himself. He relaxed against his older twin, letting Rin protect him like when they were children, though he was afraid Rin wouldn't be quite as successful with the Vatican as he was with the children that bullied Yukio.
"Yukio Okumura," Arthur's voice called from the doorway. Rin jerked awake and immediately turned a hateful eye to the paladin. "The Vatican would like to give a last minute reconsideration of your verdict." Yukio and Rin just stared at him, unable to believe the blessing they were hearing.
'Yukio might have a chance,' Rin thought, his tail perked up and was wagging rapidly behind him like an excited puppy. Yukio was not as happy. Rather, he was not as optimistic for the outcome.
'This is going to crush Rin even more when they decide to uphold the currently standing death sentence.' Yukio frowned, seeing how this change in events could do more harm than good for his brother.
"Unless you'd rather just stick with the one you have." Rin jumped up, dragging his hesitant brother along with him. The twins followed Angel back to the hearing area. Rin and Yukio parted, Rin to go to the stands with Shura and the other students and Yukio to go to the questioning post; again. Yukio's stomach twisted.
'What does this mean? Why are they questioning their decision?'He was too scared of being disappointed to hope for his life, and too afraid of what it would do to Rin at this point to hope for his death.
"Okumura Yukio."
"Yes!" He said, loud and confident from the center post though his mind was falling apart.
"In light of recent evidence we have reconvened on your case." Yukio was visibly shocked. What evidence did they have? What was influential enough to make them consider changing their verdict?
