Yukio had dozed off shortly after his confession of problems and Rin was content enough to let him be for awhile. Good god the poor guy had really earned it, considering the last month or so of shit he'd been through. And from what Rin had gathered from their strange…copulations…Yukio had had these problems for a lot longer. Cael's sudden appearance and presence had escalated the problems to the point where Yukio could no longer handle it and his emotional dam had broken.

This wasn't to say Rin hadn't been affected by all this as well. He had been struggling with similar feelings for quite some time now but unlike his brother had merely chosen to ignore it as best he could. Occasionally he would slip up when Yukio would touch him a certain way or he did something incredibly cute. But he was quick to hide it and brush it off, hoping his brother wouldn't notice and for the most part it had worked.

If it hadn't been for Cael…the two of them probably would have never sorted out their emotions. Of course, without Cael they probably would have never gone this far either. For some reason, there was a sense of familiarity with Cael, like he was someone who truly had a person's romantic interests at heart. Which was absurd cause that would make him some sort of demon Cupid. As silly as it sounded, Rin couldn't bring himself to hate Cael for the things he had done. Rather he was grateful for bringing this all to light.

But now…Yukio appeared to be sick and acting very strange, even for the bespeckled young exorcist. Rin knew Mephisto had to be behind some of this but he couldn't shake the feeling that Cael was involved as well. Why was Yukio the target of this and not him? Rin was the more likely candidate for this sort of thing (if that made any sense in his mind, which it didn't).

Rin gently unwrapped Yukio's arms from around his torso and quietly got up from the bed. His brother made an unhappy moan in his sleep and clenched at the bed sheets.

"Sorry, little brother," Rin whispered, leaning down and stroking his head. "But I've got something to do."

The feeling of Rin's touch on his hair seemed to soothe Yukio and he smiled, nuzzling deeper into his pillow. Rin's face was sad because he didn't want to leave his brother all alone without explanation. But he had to do this by himself, for Yukio's sake as much as his own. He went to his closet and found a fresh t-shirt and some socks. He just left his uniform pants on and donned his boots before grabbing his never-too-far sword. He gave Yukio one last glance before leaving the room as silently as he could.

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Rin didn't have a key to transport him to where he wanted to go, so he had to trek all the way across campus and up to the highest point of the Academy. He was silently cursing himself for not swiping Yukio's keys before leaving, but it was probably a good thing he hadn't. He had no clue where each key went and the last thing he needed was to end up in the Arctic Circle somewhere. There were a few students still wandering the campus, each heading back to their dorms since curfew would be falling in the next hour or so. Rin didn't really give a crap about that; he was more preoccupied with his task at hand. In fact he was so preoccupied he didn't notice two figures looking down from one of the taller buildings at the people below.

"Hmm hmm…Azriel sure did a good job with those barriers…" mused a medium heighted blonde one. "I didn't think he could do it personally."

"Hmph…then why bother giving him the job at all?" replied a gruff voiced brunette. "Why'd we even bother coming up from Gehenna, Lucifer? I thought you said that brat Azriel would take care of it."

"And he did, dear brother Mammon. But I've become concerned that he hasn't come back yet. So I thought I'd come and find out why."

Mammon gave his older brother a glare. "And why exactly did you drag me along for the ride?"

"You want to win this, don't you?"

"Well duh of course I do. I want to savor the look on that bastard Samel's face when I beat him at his own game."

"Which you would never be able to do and why you enlisted my aid on this little gamble of yours. But I say, using an incubus to speed things along was quite like him…"

Mammon growled impatiently. "That little piece of shit…oh when I get hold of him…"

"Patience, brother, patience! All in due time," Lucifer chided. He went to say something else but stopped as a strong energy passed by him. Both brothers' attention was drawn to the street below where Rin ran by. Lucifer watched him with keen interest.

"Hmm hmm…what's this? That boy…he smells like…"

Mammon was staring too, kneeling and leaning over the edge of the building's roof. His eyes were wide. "I want him," he said after Rin had disappeared around a corner.

"Hmm? What?"

"I want him. That boy. I want him."

Lucifer sighed, putting a hand on his forehead. "Oh good grief, not again. Mammon, we are not here to collect more things for your obsessions. Besides, he's headed for Samel's place. Do you really-hey!"

Mammon wasn't listening to his brother. He had suddenly launched himself off the roof and landed on the pavement, leaving impact imprints. Lucifer sighed again, his face one of annoyance.

"Ugh…I swear…when he sees something he wants, he just won't stop till he's got it. Ah there he goes. I'd better follow him before he makes a ruckus and blows our cover."

Lucifer took a leap off the roof but with a lot more grace than his brother. He landed gently with a soft breeze and took off after Mammon.

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Rin dashed across the grounds quick as he could. The night was beginning to fall and he wanted to be there before the darkness really came over. He looked up at the sky and noticed that the moon was already out, round and nearly full. He turned his attention back to the now empty streets. The lamp posts were already beginning to light up. Rin slowed his pace to watch the old fashioned lamps flare up. The hairs on the back of his neck suddenly stood on end and the tail hidden under his shirt clenched around his torso. He stopped, wary of his surroundings and ready to draw his sword if nessecary.

"Who's there?!" he shouted into the empty street. "Show yourself!"

Rin noticed movement in the partial shadows of a street lamp and he turned to face the ominous presence. His hand was on the hilt of his sword, ready for anything. The stranger came forward, staring at Rin with hungry eyes. It was unsettling.

"Waannnntttt…" the stranger groaned. "I wannnntttt…"

"What the hell…?"

"I do apologize for my brother's behavior," drawled a smooth voice behind Rin. The demon whipped around to face the newcomer, hand still ready to draw.

"Who are you?! What do you want?!"

The blonde newcomer sighed. "You, I'm afraid. Hmm?"

The stranger looked at Rin and his eyebrows went up in surprise. "Oh…wait a minute…I see now…that's why you smell like him."

"What are you talking about?! Answer me!" Rin was getting more and more nervous. He didn't like the aura this blonde guy put out. Whoever he was, he was powerful. Rin could feel the strength pouring out of him. The blonder stranger sighed.

"Now now, no need to get snippy. But I'm afraid you'll have to come with us."

"What, I'm not going anywhere! Who are you?!"

The blonde sighed again. "Hmm…just as stubborn if not more…Mammon, you can have him. But don't hurt him."

Rin quickly turned to the other stranger who'd he forgotten at the moment. That was his mistake. The brunette called Mammon was suddenly up in his face. He breathed out at him and Rin caught a whiff of his breath. He shook his head, coughing and trying to wave the smell away. It didn't work and he began to feel lightheaded, the world starting to spin.

"Uhhh…ughhh…uhh…"

Rin collapsed to the ground, the world going black around him. He couldn't move his arms or legs at all. He wasn't even sure he was breathing. He felt himself being picked up and he could do nothing about it.

"This might give us the trump we need," he heard the blonde say with a smirk before passing out.

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Yukio's dreams were haunted; he was searching for something but he couldn't find it. He was in a long hallway full of doors, each one leading to nowhere and emptiness. He was calling out someone's name, its echo bouncing off the walls, but there was no reply.

"Rin….Rin…Rin…where are you…?"

Yukio's eyes opened and he was still mumbling his brother's name. His world was hazy without his glasses then he realized he still had them on. Rin was not in the room.

"Rin…? Rin…Rin…where are you Rin? Where did you go? Rin?"

Yukio pitifully called out his brother's name, expecting him to appear. The lack there of was making Yukio uneasy. His stomach twisted as he desperately called out Rin's name.

"Rin…Rin…don't leave me alone…Rin, where are you…I need you…Rin…?"

Yukio sat up and stumbled out of the bed, falling to the floor. He clawed at the wood, still muttering Rin's name. He tried to stand, got to his knees before coughing violently and spitting blood up on the floor.

"Rin…why won't you answer me…Rin?" Yukio coughed again but managed to get to his feet. He staggered across the room, his vision blurry and the only thought in his mind to find where his brother had gone.

"Rin…there you are…I need you Rin…"

Yukio made it over to where Rin normally slept and he collapsed there. His breathing had become raspy and he was coughing more now. Yukio smiled, petting the sheets on Rin's bed.

"Please don't leave me Rin…I know you're there…" Yukio sat there, muttering to himself and stroking the sheets. Blood was dribbling down his chin and his neck down, the coughs becoming more frequent and increasingly violent. But he still kept the placid smile, even giggling a couple times.

"Oh dear…I didn't know it was this bad already."

Yukio remained oblivious to the newcomers in his dorm room, one said Mephisto Pheles and his nephews Cael and Azriel. Cael was looking guilty and worried at the same time, a face that only got worse when he saw the condition Yukio was in.

"I told you, you boys would be in trouble," Mephisto said sharply. "Look at him, the poor thing. He's gone delirious because of you."

"I thought he'd be fine!" Cael protested. "He didn't exhibit any symptoms so I figured…"

"Well obviously, he's not fine. Cael, can you reverse it?"

Cael shook his head. "I'm not sure I can. This is only the second time I've used the Ardor…and I wouldn't have even attempted it if someone hadn't forced me to."

Azriel rolled his eyes. "I only wanted to help things along. It was going too slow for my taste."

Cael just glared at his brother as Mephisto examined Yukio. The older demon knelt down and roughly shook Yukio's shoulder. The boy didn't respond and continued to mutter to the sheets. Mephisto shook his head.

"You have to reverse it, Cael. If you leave him like this, he's going to die and we need him."

Cael bit his lip and fidgeted a bit. "…Alright…I'll give it a shot. Mother showed me once how to lift it. But I'm not sure I can remember how."

"You have to do it Cael. It's for Rin's sake as much as Yukio's."

Azriel rolled his eyes again. "Oh please…"

"Azriel, shut up," Cael snapped. "This is all your fault in the first place!"

"My fault? Who's the one who-,"

"Alright, that's enough! Cael, do it before he goes comatose."

Cael nodded to his uncle. "Right. I need some privacy, so I'm going to need you to leave."

Mephisto obliged and grabbed his older nephew's collar to drag him out of the room. Azriel protested that he wanted to watch but a smart slap to the side of the head shut him up. Mephisto closed the room to the dorm room, leaving Cael and Yukio alone together.

Yukio seemed oblivious to Cael's presence, the only thing occupying his attention were the sheets in front of him. Cael knelt down to look at Yukio properly. His cousin's normally bright eyes were dull and glazed over and he merely stared ahead without looking at anything in particular. Blood also dribbled out of his mouth at a fair steady stream. Yukio was slowly bleeding out from the inside. Cael genuinely felt bad for putting Yukio into this state.

"Oh Master Yukio…I'm so sorry for this…" Cael coughed a bit and did his little quirk to change his voice. Having Yukio believe he was Rin was key to reversing this whole mess.

"Yukio…"

Yukio's head perked up at the sound of Rin's apparent voice. "Rin? Is that you?" He was looking straight at Cael but not really looking at him, like he was looking through him.

Cael's face saddened but he kept his voice level. "Yes, Yukio, it's me. I'm right here."

"Rin…you left me Rin…," Yukio said thickly, now verging on the brink of tears. "I need you Rin, you can't leave me alone!"

"Yukio, I'm right here. I won't leave you," Cael replied, the knot in his stomach tightening with each utterance he said in Rin's gruff voice. "Rin, I need you to look at me."

"Rin…you won't leave me again, right?"

"No I won't, but I need you to look at me."

"Rin! Don't leave me!"

"Yukio!" Cael said firmly. He reached up and took hold of Yukio's face, bringing it up so the brunette was looking directly into Cael's eyes. "Look at me and don't think of anything else."

Yukio obeyed the order, his glazed eyes meekly looking up at Cael. He was nearly submerged in his delusion from what Cael could see in his eyes. He had to fix this. He just had to! He sighed, still holding tight to Yukio's face. Like this, Yukio seemed to be a fragile thing, like he would fall apart into a million pieces if Cael let go of him.

"Yukio…please…I want you to come back to us."

Yukio merely smiled at the sound of his brother's voice. He giggled a bit and closed his eyes. "Rin…I love you Rin…I'm feeling sleepy Rin…"

"Shhhhh…don't fall asleep, Yukio. I need you awake for this."

"Mmmhmmmm…Rin I want to sleep…"

Cael clenched his teeth. He was losing him! He had to act now or it would be too late. Cael leaned in and brought Yukio's lips to his own, giving him a long passionate kiss. The younger cousin moaned as Cael kissed him, thinking it was Rin. He tasted like coppery blood and stale sweat.

Cael suddenly inhaled, breaking the kiss and head snapping back. Yukio collapsed to the floor, his eyes shut and apparently unconscious. Cael's head was still arched back, his eyes staring up at the ceiling as if in a trance.

Then, slowly but surely, a thin wisp of light-like smoke began to drift out of Yukio's open slack mouth. It swirled around Yukio's head, rising up into the room before being sucked towards Cael. The tendrils gave the room a faint glow. Cael's body shook as the wisps entered him. Before long, the wisps were completely gone along with the glow.

Cael coughed and wheezed raspily, falling to all fours on the dorm floor. He coughed for a couple minutes, trying to catch his breath. He felt completely drained but not as drained as Yukio would be when he woke up. He only hoped he'd done it correctly.

"M-master…Yukio…wake up…please…," Cael rasped. "Please…wake…up…"

Yukio's eyebrows twitched and he groaned. His eyes slowly opened and he sat up, holding his head. "Augh…ugh…I feel terrible…what happened…?"

Yukio spit out the blood in his mouth, rubbing off the dried spit/blood mix on the back of his hand. What had happened? His memory was hazy…like he'd had a dream but couldn't remember it very clearly. He noticed Cael breathing laboriously on the floor next to him. "Cael? What are you doing here? Wait…where's Rin?!"

Cael coughed once more and finally managed to sit back. "Master Rin…Master Rin has been…oh no…Master Yukio I'm so sorry! I didn't mean for this to get so out of hand!"

"What are you talking about? What happened? I remember Rin being here…just a few hours ago! Where is he?!"

"Your brother has been kidnapped," Mephisto said, re-entering the room with Azriel.

Anger flashed across Yukio's blue green eyes. "What?!"

Mephisto's face was grim as he nodded at Yukio. "I'm afraid Cael is right. Things have gotten out of hand. It all started as such a simple game of bets. But I need to end this before it gets any worse."

"You're not answering my question!" Yukio shouted angrily. He didn't even care who this other demon was standing next to Mephisto who looked so much like Cael. All he cared about was the well being of his brother. "What happened to Rin?!"

"As I said, he's been kidnapped. Cael! Stop moaning and get up!"

Cael glared at his uncle but got up none the less. "Hmph, gee thanks Cael for such a great job!" he muttered under his breath. Azriel snickered at his brother and Cael shot him a nasty glare. Yukio was looking around at the demons surrounding him. He got to his feet and grabbed the front of Mephisto's suit coat.

"Answer me, damn it! What is going on here?!"

Mephisto calmly looked at Yukio, even though the fierce glower on his face would have been enough to intimidate most people into submission. He coolly pried Yukio's fingers from his jacket.

"It seems that my opponent has asked for outside help in winning this bet. Come, there's no time to waste. Rin is in great danger even as we speak."