What more. Yeah. Excited may have been an understatement. This may not go exactly how anyone imagined but WHATEVER.
The tie on the mask was tight and it took Rin several minutes with Raven's protests getting weaker and weaker. As the last part of the tie came undone and Rin withdrew his hands Raven violently yanked the hood over his face.
Rin was slightly disappointed but at least Raven's breathing seemed to have started to calm down. Shima scowled.
"Could have at least let us know what he looks like."
"Give it a rest" Rin sighed "it's probably better that we don't know anyway."
Rin rocked back of his knees and sat down properly.
"Do you think this has something to do with his fever from that night on the bus" Shima asked, moving to sit next to Rin.
"I don't know" Rin shrugged. Had it been sending Rin to see Yukio that made Raven sick?
When his breathing had steadied and the shaking had calmed down, Raven struggled to his feet and stumbled over to the very edge of the three line lying down again in the shade. They did move for the rest of the day or that night. Shiemi and Rin found a berry bush and Shima managed to start a small fire. Raven didn't move stayed curled up in a ball and didn't move. Rin tried to check on him before they all settled down for the night.
"Hey, are you okay" Rin asked. Raven shifted slightly in an action that may or may not have been a nod.
They all feel asleep a little before midnight clustered around Shima's small fire.
"Holy shit. Where the hell are we?"
Rin glanced around. They were in a gazebo in the middle of a town garden in what looked to be a small town.
"How did we get here" Rin frowned.
"We're in a town so we should be able to contact miss Shura and the others" Shiemi said.
"Oh hey yeah" Shima nodded relaxing "lets see if we can find a pay phone or a hotel that'll let us use theirs."
"Alright let's go" Rin agreed. Shiemi nodded and they set off after the decidedly more upbeat Shima, Shiemi hanging off Rin's arm.
Yukio watched the trio leave from a bench on the other side of the garden.
"Well that went better than expected."
He glanced over his shoulder to see Mephisto leaning casually against a naked cherub statue.
"You're lucky Amaimon found your camp when he did. Could have ended badly for you otherwise" he sing-songed.
"Shut up" Yukio scowled "don't you have a school to run."
"I do and you have recuperating to do. Try not to do too much work for a while."
They waited impatiently at the bus shelter for Shura to arrive. Everyone else was already back at true cross.
"Their you guys are" Shura's voice sounded from behind them. Shima grinned.
"Finally."
"How'd everything go" Shura asked looking a Rin in particular.
"We're alive" Rin supplied.
"And now you're headin' back for psych testing. Who knows what happened to you out there."
The bus ride back was uneventful and the psych testing even more so. Rin carefully danced around the incident with Raven and his dreams with Yukio and they were all proclaimed mentally sound, although Rin was advised to look into tips for people with ADD which he resented.
Rin stalked into the empty dorm and lay down in Yukio's bed. Without Raven would he ever see his brother again? Was Yukio even actually alive or were they those dreams people had where they talked to the spirit of their loved ones. It hadn't mattered when all Rin had to do to see Yukio was ask Raven. He drifted off into an uneasy sleep.
Waking up in the tree stump clearing again sent Rin's mind into a spiral. However the grassy space was unoccupied other than Rin. He wondered around a bit, but Yukio didn't seem to be anywhere. Rin sat down on his stump and took a dive into his thoughts. Was Yukio hiding because of what had happened last time? Or was this just a normal dream.
Rin woke up repeatedly throughout the night only to return to the same situation every time he fell asleep, until of course he woke up a warm, something, sitting on the edge of the bed near his feet. The first thought that came to mind was Kuro and Rin did not want the familiar there right now so h did the only thing his sleep deprived mind considered logical and tried to kick it of the bed.
"Ow" it muttered "hardly the first thing I wanted to happen."
Rin sat up like he'd been struck by lightning. Staring for a few seconds before rocking forward to kneel in front of Yukio.
"This real" Rin whispered, running his fingers across Yukio's cheek "you came back."
"Only for you Rin."
Rin wrapped his arms around Yukio and buried his face in his brother's shoulder. Yukio returned the gesture and Rin tightened his hold on his twin.
"Are you going to leave again Yukio?"
"In a few days for a little while. For about a week, then I'll come back."
"You better come back."
"Rin I wouldn't be here now if I wasn't."
Rin nodded into Yukio's shoulder.
"Are you coming back to the cram school" he asked.
"No."
Rin nodded again. He was expecting that answer.
Rin refused to let Yukio go, laughing the whole time Yukio tried to extract himself from Rin's grasp or at least make himself more comfortable.
"Nope not letting you go" Rin grinned. Yukoi smiled and placed an arm loosely over Rin's shoulders.
"Yukio can we talk about something. Something important."
"Of course Rin" Yukio's grip on his shoulder tightened and Rin smiled at the concern in his voice.
"The last time we spoke. In the clearing" he took a deep breath "do you regret any of that."
"No."
Rin looked up to meet his brother's gaze.
"You know what I'm talking about right" Rin asked. Yukio laughed.
"Yes Rin. It may have been a while but I'm still smarter than you."
Rin scoffed and leaned up to kiss Yukio again. This time there was nothing timid about the way he kissed Rin back.
"So you're really gonna come back."
Yukio groaned.
Yay Yukio. I hope you enjoyed it. Maybe updates will slow down now. We'll see :)
