A/N: I hate nagging readers for reviews. I thought that if my story is good, readers will naturally review it. But I always get story faves and follows but no words from those people. Why? Because you read from your phones and it's hard to type reviews through phones? It's sad when one claims to like you but won't take any effort for you. I spend time writing so I'd really love to hear feedback about how to write better or even requests - in AO3, I have readers posting ideas which I took to build the story. I was excited re-posting this to FFnet, in case the story ends up becoming two different versions due to the different ideas given by readers. Hearing silence from people you're talking to is really lonely.
13.
"So I was wrong."
Yukio turned around so fast it was a wonder he didn't sustain a whiplash.
The carefree, menacing figure of Saburouta Toudou grinned at his opponent, the vermilion glow of Karura's flame around his wavy hair brightened the unhinged expression on his young freckled face. "I was wrong. You don't hate your brother," he elaborated, then leaned forward, eyes gleaming like he was sharing a secret, a juicy piece of gossip, "you can't possibly hate him, because he's the other end of your red string of fate."
Shocked by Toudou's intimidating proximity, Yukio recoiled backward, both hands still tightly wrapped around the barrels of his trusty Colt M1911. [1] Cursing the previous turns of events that separated him from his fellow exorcists under his breath, Yukio faced the demon with unflinching blue eyes. "I don't know what you are talking about," he said calmly.
Toudou scrutinized him, tilting his head to the side before his grin widened. "What a terrible liar you are, Okumura Yukio."
Yukio gave no outward reaction, his eyes watching Toudou's footwork and flames while his mind was whirling a mile a minute, speculating possible scenarios on how he could escape his enemy unscathed.
Toudou wasn't done taunting him. "Not only that, I heard that your brother doesn't know that you're his soulmate. He goes around, fishing for girls' sympathies with pitiful glances. 'Woe be me, a soulmate-less, lonely boy…'" the sentence was followed by a loud, condescending laughter.
Yukio didn't respond to Toudou's speech, still.
Neither of them attacked, merely circling each other with keen gazes. The tension on Yukio's spine was reaching excruciating levels of discomfort, his patience running thin.
"Wait a minute," Toudou broke the silence, yet he had not moved closer. "May be I wasn't wrong. You do hate your brother."
Yukio inhaled sharply, and tried to disguise it by prolonging his breath. "Are you finished?" he snapped, putting as much derision into his remark as possible. As though whatever the older male had said was boring him.
Toudou just looked surer of himself. "I'm right here, yet he doesn't notice me," he narrated in a slightly different tone, as though he was mimicking Yukio's. "Sucks to be rejected by your own mate on a daily basis, doesn't it?" he leaned forward and lifted his foot, only to continue walking to the left and to the right, rather aimlessly.
Cold sweat dripped to Yukio's temple, but he didn't dare wipe it away and remove the aim of one of his guns from Toudou. "What a waste of time," it took him almost his all to keep his voice from shaking. Toudou had hit too close to home.
"Oh, but you don't want the bond to be consummated either, do you?" now the demon was ignoring Yukio's words too. "His demonic powers will contaminate you if the connection is opened…and you can't have that, can you?" Toudou clucked his tongue. "It's so unfair. Why does he have to be my soulmate?"
Yukio didn't intend to be the first to shoot. But he was fed up with waiting, above all else.
Toudou moved so fast he was a flash a light to the untrained eye. Before Yukio could even widen his eyes, the demon already had the teen's back pressed against his chest.
"Shall I…" his grin turned predatory as his hands curled around Yukio's throat and left hand, "cut the rope for you?"
14.
Rin blinked.
"Yukio's…soulmate?" the half-demon echoed.
"Yes," Mephisto replied. Cockily, confidently.
Rin blinked again. He'd…never thought about it. Conceptually, he knew that Yukio, like any humans, might have a red string tied around his pinky connecting him to someone else somewhere. His special person.
Yet, Yukio never seemed to be looking.
And, shame on him to say this, lost in his own troubles as he was, Rin never asked.
Because - jealousy of his brother's humanity aside - the thought of Yukio eventually leaving Rin to build his own family with the other half of his soul was…painful.
'You idiot!' Rin scolded himself in his mind. 'The reason Yukio never had the time to look for his soulmate was because he had his plate full with me, his troublesome half-demon older brother!'
The only other time his chest had felt this full of guilt was the moment Father Fujimoto's casket had been lowered into the ground.
"Do you know?" the Grigori's question was directed at Rin. "If Okumura Yukio even has a soulmate? If she is alive? Who she is?"
"E-eh," Rin panicked at being placed in the spotlight. "I-I…He…never mentioned…"
The other hooded members turned to Mephisto.
"I don't know, either," Mephisto shrugged, sounding too carefree for Rin's liking. Yukio's life was not something fickle.
A gleam entered his slit-like eyes, though, and made Rin revise his opinions on the clown. "We know of someone who do, though?"
Whispers broke amongst the exorcists. "The Matchmaker," Rin heard the name mentioned repeatedly in hushed breaths.
The Grigori sighed. "Go deal with him yourselves. You have till tomorrow or the moment Okumura Yukio wakes and provide us the information himself, whichever is earliest."
Provided he doesn't harm us upon waking up, was another unspoken statement in everyone's mind.
"Understood," Mephisto bowed again, before he turned and walked away.
Rin and Shura followed him. "Who's…the Matchmaker?" Rin whispered.
Shura folded her arms behind her head and bent her neck backward. "An annoying creep!" she cringed. "I'll accompany ye to his place, but I won't enter with ye, get it?"
"Nani," Mephisto chuckled. "With my gateways, it wouldn't take much effort. Eins, zwei, drei!" He snapped his fingers again, to summon his magic this time (and not for, like, dramatic effects), and a huge door appeared before them, framed by a cuckoo clock.
Rin stared at the slowly opening door. And gulped.
"Let's go!"
TBC
Review please!
Note:
1. I'm not sure if this is Yukio's guns' model. If you know, please tell me.
