I have finally finished this story, after almost four freaking months. I've never taken that long to write something, so I have no idea what is going on. This is not the last chapter though, there are two more following this one.

I want to thank everyone who is reading this story. I love seeing the hits and knowing someone might be enjoying what I'm penning.

This is a Valentine's Day present for the lovely Risque Tendencies for being an awesome beta. Thank you for all your help.

/GG/

What About the Others

Part: The Tenth

Two Months Later

Rin sat in the chair at the front of the classroom, eyes trained on his brother, but not taking in any of what the younger son of Satan said. While his brother may have been the one in the front of the classroom, the only thing he saw was Onodera-san, as if the older man were standing right in front of him. His imagination had started playing tricks on his mind just a few days after his ex, if he could even call him that, had all but vanished. The first time he'd 'seen' Onodera-san had almost ended up with a complete stranger turning him in for sexual harassment. After that Rin had been so wary and on edge he literally saw 'him' everywhere he looked.

Even his dreams had been plagued to the point he'd taken to sleeping in a different room because he'd have wet dreams over and over again in the night. He didn't want Yukio to know that the man had been so engrained into his head that even after a break-up his body still reacted in a sexual way. The thing that pissed him off was that when Onodera had been around, he hadn't had a permanent hard-on, but for almost 60 days, his cock had been at attention like a fucking flagpole.

After a few more moments of seeing Onodera-san standing in front of him and his body tingling like it anticipated feeling the elder's mouth all over his anatomy, Rin stood up and screamed.

"Why?" Tears shown in the corner of his eyes. "What kind of magic can I use to make my body mine again?"

Okumura crashed to his desk, a sniveling pile of goop, not realizing that everyone in the room was staring at him like he'd been possessed by a different kind of demon. In truth, he had been taken over, and the demon was called infatuation…love.

"Nii-san?"

Rin looked up and saw his brother looking at him with a sad expression on his face. After the editor had left, Okumura hadn't really talked to anyone about how he was feeling and it was obvious it was starting to eat at the elder of halflings. He knew his family, his friends, were worrying about his change over in personality, but in truth the blue-eyed boy hadn't wanted to burden anyone with thoughts they themselves probably hadn't ever entertained.

"I need a break," he announced.

Without so much as a glance back, Rin walked out the door to the classroom and took off at a fast paced jog. In movies he'd see a character run to help relieve the stress of a bad situation. This was definitely one of those situations.

/GG/

A scream reverberated in his head, which caused Ritsu to sit up in his bed in a cold sweat. He shivered, involuntarily, and placed his head in his hands. For a few weeks he'd been plagued by dreams, for even longer still he'd seen a person popping up in his vision. Lately the vision of the man in the purple hat had been happening more frequently. He didn't like it.

Not even Okumura-kun or Saga-senpai had been in his dreams as much as this unknown man had. Frankly, it freaked him out because it was almost as if the man was mocking him. Onodera had been mocked more than enough in his life, he didn't need fantasies to do that too.

Of course, during the day, at least five times, his mind landed on a certain young half-demon. His thoughts taking advantage of him kept Onodera from being completely sane. First it had been Saga-senpai, when thoughts of the man had all but overtaken his psyche. Now it was a kid, someone he never should have hooked up with, that wouldn't leave his mind.

Rin had probably been able pick up the pieces of his life and move on; he was a teenager after all. There was more than likely a plethora of girls and boys who would have been all but giddy at snagging him. Jealousy would pound in his head when he thought of Okumura-kun with someone else. At one point Ritsu had even snapped at air when the thought of the younger man having sex with another popped into his head.

"I can't dwell on what can't be," he'd reasoned with himself in that situation.

The same type of pain he'd felt when he'd left Saga-senpai had all but oozed into his heart and overtaken each and every cell in his body, but Onodera pushed through the pain and continued on as if nothing was different. It hadn't been easy to set himself up with a new job and a life that wasn't his. Yes, he'd been allowed to keep his name, and had been in contact with his family, but instead of editing literature, he'd been forced to edit manga for a company in Sapporo. Living in that area wasn't necessarily bad since it had kept him away from his mother for a time, but it had meant he was completely alone, and still able to see that demons ran rampant while no one was any the wiser.

Onodera pushed himself from his bed and got ready to head to work. Just like any other day, he was going to edit manga and then sleep. There was no excitement and he couldn't even say he was content. Instead he was just going about the motions like a marionette on strings and someone else was the puppet-master.

/GG/

"You really need to stop skipping classes and learn something," Mephisto said as he hit Rin over the head with his hand.

The younger man winced at the impact and glared. "What was that for?" he asked as he rubbed his smarting scalp.

"I am trying to knock some sense into you. Far be it for me to not care about my younger brother when he's lost."

Rin rolled his eyes. "I don't believe a word of what you're saying. You know as well as I do that if I don't become an exorcist you are allowed to kill me. Isn't this what they want?"

Mephisto sighed and smacked Rin upside the head again. "As much as I would love to play around with you like old times, even I know when it isn't the right time for fun. You are worrying people, your powers are becoming erratic, which is putting other people in danger, and this is drawing all sorts of riffraff from god knows where to our gates. While I don't have a problem with the occasional demon attack, even I can't defend against dozens of demons showing up here." The answer was completely serious and caused Okumura to cringe. "And," Mephisto added, dangerously, "You are making me look bad in the eyes of countless people who trust me."

"Then why don't I just admit defeat and let you kill me?" 'That would make my life a little less complicated,' Rin thought.

Not a sound was heard after that question and for a moment the boy wondered if his guardian had fallen asleep during the conversation. Then laughter shook the room like an earthquake. Rin's eyes shot open wide as he fell back slightly from the other demon; a look of confusion laced his face.

After a few moments of uninterrupted laughter, Mephisto spoke again. "This is rich, Rin-chan. I cannot believe that the son of Satan is willing to end his life just because he's been jilted in love. We're demons; you should thank whatever god you want to that you were able to experience such pleasure."

Those words were definitely like a slap in the face to the student, who hadn't once thought that maybe the reason Onodera had left was because of some curse. Once Mephisto spelled it out for him, the idea became malignant and spread like a cancer to his head. Within moments Rin could feel himself start to get angry, sad, and depressed at the same time. This ended up with him setting fire to the room and torching everything to a cinder in mere moments.

Then Mephisto did something completely unexpected. He hugged the boy for a brief moment. They stood in the burnt out husk of a room while the older male spoke.

"Don't for one moment think it's okay that you have destroyed my office, but I will let you take your anger out on this room if you can get your act together, or I may very well have to send you to the Vatican to be kept under lock and key until you can grow up. Watching the two of you is like watching two children."

Rin watched as Mephisto scowled at his blackened office and walked out the door. Anger seeped into his mind as he stared off after the enigma that was his older brother. If the other demon wasn't the most cryptic bastard in the world, no one was.

/GG/

Moments upon returning home, Ritsu ended up passing out on his sofa. Tired didn't even begin to describe how he felt after the long day at work. Two of his mangaka had asked for extra extensions, his boss had fallen down the stairs when a demon had pushed through, and broke his leg, and his mother had called and nagged him about An-chan for the billionth time. All in all, it had been a rather shitty day.

Thus the reason for him entering into a sleep coma the second he'd hit the couch. What was nice about the situation was there were no dreams, no charismatic men with pointed ears in his dreams, and no thoughts of Okumura-kun. Okay, maybe just a little thought on the latter, but nothing else.

Until he heard a crash, followed by some profanity, which caused him to bolt upright in terror.

What he saw made him quake with fear as the demon who had been haunting his dreams, both awake and asleep, stood before him with a snarky grin.

"W-who are you?" Ritsu finally asked when he found his voice.

"I am Mephisto Pheles," the being said with a bow. "I've heard a lot about you Onodera Ritsu-kun, though I must say, you are rather plain. Not quite sure what he sees in you."

Onodera sat back on the sofa as the man before him studied him from too close a proximity. He could feel the other's breath on his face as he was handled like some sort of prize bull on show for purchase. The way it felt made his skin crawl.

"Get your hands off me, no one is allowed to touch me," he snapped as he pushed the offending limb away from his face.

Mephisto giggled, "Feisty, aren't we. I guess I can see why Okumura-kun is drawn to you."

At the mere mention of the name Ritsu could feel his heart quicken and a slight blush creep onto his face. Moving was supposed to keep him from having to deal with the brat again, yet somehow this clown from his daymares and nightmares had brought the kid back into his mind.

"Struck a nerve, didn't I?" the man laughed.

"I've given up that part of my life and moved on, so why are you here dredging up old news?"

"Tch, tch, tch, this won't do," Mephisto said as he collapsed onto the sofa with Onodera, causing the latter to scoot closer to the edge of the furniture.

"What are you on about?" The way the man was speaking confused Onodera more than helped him understand the intrusion into his home.

"I mean, you are obviously still thinking about him as much as he thinks about you, so I am not sure how to sever your ties," the demon stated.

Hearing that Okumura hadn't moved on actually made Ritsu feel an emotion he hadn't felt since he'd been confessed to by Saga-senpai. He pushed it aside, though, and scowled.

"I've already severed those ties, so you can leave and not barge into other people's houses again."

Again the demon laughed. "You are funny, amusing like my little brother Okumura-kun. The elder, I mean. His twin isn't exactly as amusing; probably because of how worldly he is compared to his older brother."

Talk of brothers and whatnot just confused Ritsu and he shook his head in annoyance.

"Look, I told you that I cut ties already, so please, don't bother me again. I don't want to deal with him, or you, or anyone in your world anymore." It wasn't quite a plead, but it certainly felt like one. For some reason, he knew that if the other man didn't leave his life wouldn't be as simple as it had become once leaving behind the world of demons and sons of Satan.

"You haven't really aged much since that incident, have you Onodera Ritsu?" Mephisto chuckled with a shady grin.

"I don't know what you're talking about?" Ritsu snarled, baring his teeth like a caged animal. He'd had a dream about the clown standing in his way and it scared the crap out of him. This man, thing, had somehow managed to sneak into his subconscious and give him nightmares since before he'd been kidnapped.

"That incident being when you were sexually active with your beloved Saga-senpai." The answer was deadpan.

Onodera blushed from head to toe at the bluntness this man was using with regards to his past.

"What of it?"

"You ran away then too. Kind of a coward, aren't you?" Mephisto grinned again with a slight shake of his head.

Hearing it from someone else was quite the change of pace. Ritsu didn't like to think about how he had run away back then. He didn't really like to think about his running away a few weeks ago either. Onodera was someone who took flight instead of fight, he wasn't someone who had much training with fighting anyway and he'd have ended up getting killed.

"I'm not a coward just because I ran away," he tried to say with conviction. "That was me saving my life."

"I'm not talking about your running from danger; any smart man would do that." Mephisto was enjoying toying with this man's head. The squirming was fun to watch. "I am talking about running from love."

Ritsu looked down at his hands for a moment before glaring at the demon who had decided it was a good idea to interrupt his sleep in person, finally.

"Maybe love is your cowardice. You are afraid of love, so you leave your partner hanging. You did it with Masamune. You did it with An." He walked forward and whispered into the human's ear, eliciting a shiver from the other's spine. "And now you've done that to my little brother."

"Fuck you!" Ritsu screamed. "Get out of here before I call the cops."

Mephisto threw back his head and laughed. "And what would you say to them? You really are a poor excuse for a man. Do you not have any intelligence at all in your head?"

Onodera glared, but didn't answer. He knew the demon was using him for a laugh.

"You're the exact opposite of that poor excuse for a demon who's fallen in love with you. You run away from things while that idiot runs into them without thinking." Mephisto smirked evilly. "I knew that with humans they say that opposites attract, but who knew it was actually true."

"And what do you know of humans if you aren't even one?" Ritsu was tired of this conversation and wanted Mephisto to swan off.

"I live with humans, I educate humans, and my cousin is the head of a publishing company," the demon said as he jumped onto the bed and crouched down at eye level with Onodera. "The same one, in fact, where your ex-lover, Saga-senpai, currently works."

Ritsu felt his blood boil and his face flush. This creature knew way too much about him and he doubted Okumura-kun would have spilled the beans. So where had all the details from his past come from? How did Mephisto get hold of them?

"I can tell by your blush that while you may be angry at the man, you still have some unresolved feelings for him. If you plan on making a clean break from Okumura-kun and our world, I could easily get you an interview with Marukawa. Maybe it could help rekindle those lost feelings?" he grinned, showing off his pointed teeth.

The very idea of being put into a position where he had to work with Saga-senpai almost made him want to reach out and wring the other man's neck. Ritsu wouldn't deny it though; the opportunity to see the man reminded him of how much he loved and adored the other. It was a well known fact that one never forgot their first love, even if that love ended in tragedy.

"I can also tell by your inability to comment immediately that the idea actually isn't bringing about negative thoughts," Mephisto deadpanned. He became very serious. "I don't want someone who cannot make up their own mind clouding the mind of the son of Satan, and that's exactly what's happening right now."

Onodera looked at the demon with curiosity. "What do you mean?"

The demon glowered. "I mean that Okumura-kun hasn't been able to concentrate, he hasn't gone to his lessons regularly, and he's neglected his duties." He stared Ritsu down. "All. Because. Of. You," he sing-songed as he placed a finger on the tip of Onodera's nose.

Ritsu pushed back slightly under the other man's touch as his eyes went wide. After telling himself he wouldn't do exactly what Saga-senpai had done, he'd indeed gone and made the younger man feel just as he had while still in high school.

/GG/

On the other side of the door Mephisto had used to travel to Sapporo, stood the very being Onodera and Mephisto had been talking about. Okumura still hadn't left the headmaster's office, nor did he want to. For some reason being around the destruction he'd caused calmed Rin's head enough for him to think.

Mephisto had told him to fight for what he wanted. It was exactly the same thing his father had said on countless occasions. Even Yukio had made similar comments before. Normally Rin would either fight until it wasn't possible to get what he wanted, or he'd bow out gracefully. Neither were an option at that point though.

He looked at the devastation of the office and realized that if he were ever going to see Onodera-san again, he'd need to start acting like a human and not a demon. That wasn't something he figured he knew how to do, but he did know that if he had the other man at his side, he had a much better chance of retaining his humanity than if Onodera didn't stay.

/GG/

The confession caused Ritsu to all but die on the inside. A tear streamed down his face as he was thrown back into his former self, so vibrant and full of love, which was tossed aside like a piece of rubbish. Hearing what Mephisto had said had reduced the man to a child and reminded him of his own sadness at losing something he'd held dear.

If Okumura-kun was indeed not bouncing back, then maybe it was true that fate had drawn them together. Onodera wouldn't call what he felt love, but he would say it was definitely not something he could ignore. He'd been in love once, which had ended up with him in pain. He wasn't about to let someone else go through what he himself had gone through. Especially when the one who had caused the pain didn't want to be away from the son of Satan anyway.

"I'll come back," he whispered, "but it has to be on my terms. No magic, I will take the train and get there like a human. I can't be a demon like you."

What surprised Ritsu more than Mephisto's agreement was the fact that when he'd made up his mind to stop running and face his own inner demons, it made him feel as if he were about ready to go back home. He didn't know when Okumura-kun had become his home, but there was no other word to describe the feeling. Wherever the halfling was, that was Onodera's home.