Written:
Major Editing: July 16, 2013 9:48PM
Some parts: December 30, 2012, 5:12PM

Disclaimer: I do not own Ao no Exorcist.

A/N: Believe it or not, some parts of this chapter are the first ones I've written in this story. I just edited a lot because I thought of another freakin' plot revision.

Warnings: OC. Emotional. Bad action. And the very original naming sense of the author.

— Setting: Present Time —

It was late afternoon. The tension had finally gone down as the minute-old child was wrapped in sterile cloth and handed gently to his mother. The lady smiled down at the infant secured in her arms.

"Rin..."

She decided to call him that. It was a name that she alone had decided. Her husband was nowhere in sight; she minded the absence, but she never really got angry with her husband. She might have been a little bit worried for the man but she never blamed him. And now that she has her child by her side...

And then the fire started. It was no ordinary fire. It started to burn within her, her skin and finally her whole body. She was engulfed by the blue flames that turned her into ashes just moments after her scream were cut short by death.

'Don't burn... please,...'

"Mother!"

Rin suddenly opened his eyes, clutching a hand to his chest. He thought he was burning — no, he wasn't. The woman who held him lovingly in her arms was burning in his blue flames. But he could do nothing about it but cry as she turned into ashes right before his very eyes.

He was sure she was his mother.

Rin blinked. How could that happen? His mother probably died after giving birth to him. He was just few minutes old, but he had seen her face clearly. She was so kind and warm. She was a bit pale, but her dark brown hair and bright blue-green eyes seemed to have made up for her wan skin complexion. When Rin had closed his eyes, he could still see her face vividly like some fresh memory. But it wasn't only because of the dream that he could envision her face clearly; he thought she looked very familiar.

That's right. She looked very much like Yukio.

Rin closed his eyes again, seeing his mother's and Yukio's face alternatingly behind his eyelids. It all came down to that again: if the dream — or nightmare, whatever that was — had been a memory, then just like he had killed his foster father, he had murdered his biological mother.

A sharp poke on his forehead jolted him out of his daydreams.

"Niisan, if you're trying to sleep again, you're going to be late," Yukio said, throwing a bath towel at Rin's face as the older brother opened his eyes.

"Hey!" Rin tried to catch the towel while sitting up, but he toppled back on his bed as the cloth covered his face. He sat up again and pointed an angry finger at the other boy, his tail straightening indignantly. "I'm your older brother, you know! You should remember to respect me!"

Yukio picked up his bag, sparing a backward glance at his older brother. "I'm ready to go. See you at school, Niisan."

"What!? What's the time?" Rin grabbed his alarm clock. "I'm going to be late!"

"I told you so."

"Wait for me, Yukio!"

"No way."

"I said 'wait', younger brother!"

Just Some Memories Of... [A Cry of Help]

Chapter Nine

Rin opened his eyes.

Crap. He fell asleep. Where was he again?

Oh yes, he was taking the exorcist written exam in a cram school classroom.

"Shit."

The examiner glared at him. It was a female exorcist from the main branch, someone that Rin didn't even bother remembering the name of.

"No talking, please."

Rin glanced at the clock. He had ten minutes left to answer the remaining 50 questions he snored on. He was a little bit proud to say that the first half of the hundred-question exam has answers he was sure of (Yukio, Bon and Izumo reviewed him repeatedly about a hundred times, after all!) before he went to slumber land.

But some of the other 50 felt vaguely familiar. Most of them looked like gibberish to Rin's eyes because he couldn't focus. His earlier dream was still bothering him because it felt very real.

'Shit,' Rin said, this time in his head. He proceeded on trying out his luck by rushing through the next questions. 'I'm dead, I'm dead...'

The bell finally rang. Was that already ten minutes?

At least, Rin managed to put something on his paper. He left his seat as the stern examiner asked for his paper, which she placed with the rest.

After collecting all the exam papers, she announced rather cheerfully, "Congratulations on finishing the first part of the exorcist examinations! Please wait for further instructions for the second part, which is the practical examination. Good luck!"

"Can't we rest for a bit?" Shima asked.

"You have to ask that from the personnel assigned to you for your practical examination," the woman answered politely as she placed the exam papers in a large brown envelope. "Now, if you would please excuse me..."

She left the cram school room, taking the envelope with her.

"So which places are assigned to you guys?" Rin asked, shrugging his sword onto his shoulder.

"Open field 1," Shiemi, Izumo and... Takara's puppet chorused.

"Open field 2," said the Kyoto trio.

"What the hell?" Rin yelled. "Am I the only one who will go to that empty field behind the old Boy's Dorm?"

The door opened and three exorcists entered the room.

"Pages aiming to have the title of Tamer, please follow me," Neuhaus said, looking at the two ladies and the puppeeter. He walked out of the door again as the three followed.

"Yah Arias," Shura pointed lazily at the Kyoto trio and walked out of the door too. The three boys had no choice but to run after her.

Rin watched them go before turning towards the last person in the room.

Yukio smiled. "Follow me, Niisan."

"What?" Rin asked as they had their turn of leaving the room. "Where are we going?"

"As you said, we're going to that empty lot behind our dorm," Yukio replied. He took a ring of keys from his pocket and opened the door with it. The door opened immediately towards the grassy land behind the old Boy's dormitory.

The twins stepped into the open space as the cool wind blew. Yukio turned around to face his brother with a serious face.

"For the second part of your exorcist examination, the practical part," he explained. "Okumura Rin, you are going to fight me."

Rin froze on the spot. "What are you talking about?" But Yukio just pulled out his guns and checked them. "Don't freakin' ignore me!"

"Calm down. No, I guess you can't," Yukio said as he watched Rin stomp angrily on the ground. "Listen, alright? We're going to—"

"No, you listen!" Rin stepped towards his twin and stared him right in the eyes. "We're not gonna fight! I told you already that family shouldn't fight!"

Yukio took a deep breath. Now he realized that anger is contagious especially with the shouting and impatience. He needed to calm down or there would be two shouting, angry Okumuras in True Cross Academy grounds.

"Niisan, we're going to pretend to fight," Yukio began.

"What d'you mean?"

"You can use your sword and flames."

"Even my flames? Are you crazy? Shouldn't I be trying to control them or somethin'?"

"This 'fight' is different. Keeping your flames in check is the point of your second exam. And I, being your younger twin and another son of Satan, may be the only one who can stand up against your flames. That's why I'm the personnel assigned to you."

Rin pouted. "Can't I just fight the clown instead?"

"Sir Pheles is currently not in school. Now that you metioned it, he's out of school in quite a while already..." The younger boy placed a finger to his chin, deep in thought. "Anyway, just pretend that we're training."

"Training with sword and flames against guns?"

Yukio nodded. Rin grinned.

"Alright!"

Yukio loaded his guns and checked his spare magazines secured in his belt. He still has his holy water grenades but promised himself that he's never going to use them on his brother.

"Get ready," he said, looking at Rin. The older boy changed to his PE uniform and was swaying his tail from side to side impatiently.

They were still in the vacant lot behind their dormitory. Obscured by trees and the large dormitory itself, Yukio knew Rin can use his flames as he wanted. The dorm was also some distance from the main of the academy, thus the sounds of gunshots and their fighting would barely be heard by others.

Yukio trailed his eyes on his brother. "Start!"

In an instant, Rin unsheathed the Kurikara. Blue flames licked the outline of his body as Rin threw the blue scabbard uncaringly to the ground and run to Yukio with his inhuman speed, sword raised.

But Yukio expected the straight-forward attack. He side-stepped and swept his leg beneath Rin, throwing him off his feet. Straddling over the laying figure of his brother, he pointed his gun right on Rin's chest. A loud shot resonated in the area.

"Dammit, that freakin' hurts!" Rin yelled, clutching his chest. He looked but there was just little blood. "Hey, I thought..."

Yukio smiled. "Nutrient capsules. The same ones I used when we were saving Shiemi-san."

"You mean you never intend to take me on seriously!?"

"Of course not."

Rin sat up. "But you're facing my flames and my sword! I'm a demon, Yukio. Never forget that."

Yukio shoved his brother back to ground at gunpoint, his face serious.

"But if I had my blessed bullets, I already killed you a while ago." He smiled again. "And you're Niisan before you're a demon. That's the one I won't ever forget. Let's try again, shall we?"

He stood up and offered his hand to help his brother do the same. But Rin tackled him, taking his turn to be over his twin. He let his blade fall just millimeters from Yukio's head, the tip sinking into the fine grains of the soil.

"Back at you, li'l bro," Rin said, grinning. Yukio frowned at him from beneath.

"That's unfair, Niisan."

"No, that should count as my win!"

A sigh. Yukio reached up a free hand and pinched Rin's nose so the older yelped and squirmed away from the touch. They stood up.

"Alright..." the exorcist said.

Rin grinned wider, mimicking Yukio's tone. "Let's try again, shall we?"

Yukio just smiled and aimed his gun. Rin ducked, swinging the side of his sword towards Yukio's leg as the bullet barely graze his arm. But the younger twin jumped backwards to remove himself from the hitting area of Rin's blade. With a confident smile, the older Okumura grunted as he directed his blue flames, slightly singeing the hem of Yukio's coat.

"Not bad," Yukio complimented, watching Rin head towards him again. He aimed and shot at Rin's foot but the other boy sliced the bullet. Rin unleashed his flames again towards his brother but he got distracted when he thought he heard a familiar counting voice. At that moment, his flames went out of control. Yukio tried to step out of the way again but his foot was caught on a branch littered on the ground and he stumbled. In a matter of seconds, he was covered in blue flames.

"Yukio!" Rin yelled. He knew he got too carried away. His anger and confidence made him use his flames too much. After all, these blue flames he inherited from his father can kill. And the same flames can easily burn his human younger brother.

'Murderer...' that word echoed against his ears again.

Rin wanted to ran into the fiery cerulean place and join Yukio even though he knew that those flames wouldn't burn him. But he heard a yell. "No, Niisan! Get back!"

A holy water grenade was thrown into the air followed by an echoing gunshot. The blessed liquid showered over the blue flames and extinguished them, revealing a still cool and collected younger Okumura sitting on a bare patch of land.

"Yukio!" Rin called again, worry written all over his face. His sword fell from his lax grip and he tackle-hugged Yukio, almost bawling his eyes out. "I thought you're gone!"

Yukio chuckled. "It's alright, Niisan. The exorcist coat is fire resistant. I'm not even burnt."

Rin looked his brother over with teary eyes, earning another laugh from Yukio. The elder twin pouted and pulled on the cheeks of the other, trying to wipe that smile off.

"Stop it, Niisan..." Yukio squirmed away from his brother's fingers, still smiling. But he was surprised to find that his brother bore that expression of too much sadness.

"I thought I killed you..." Rin said, so serious that Yukio almost believed that his older brother had killed him.

"Dream on, Niisan," Yukio said as he realized that his silence stretched too much. "You can't kill me—"

"N-NO!" Rin pushed Yukio away. A wave of blue flames erupted from him, missing Yukio by a few centimeters. "I can't believe I-I—!"

'Yukio, get back,' said that beautiful voice in the head of the younger Okumura. Of course, the young teacher didn't move as he watched his brother writhe in pain right in front of him. He was about to lunge forward to help his older twin but another entity took over his movements and forced him to move back.

Rin knelt to the ground. He was afraid; earlier, he thought that his only family left in the living world was burning with his own blue flames. Just like his foster father and biological mother did.

But he had been 'too' afraid. He was suicidal. He lost the will to live. Finally, some other demon grabbed the chance to take over his body. Blue flames grew stronger as if someone had thrown oil into the fire, making him feel like his skin was sizzling.

A loud laugh sounding odd against his ears erupted from his burning throat.

"I'm here again!" Rin's body stood up on its own, even as Rin himself thought that it should be burning down and bleeding from too much heat. "Welcome Satan-sama, you bastards!"

Yukio shielded his eyes with his arms. He felt as though the blue fire would melt his eyes even from just staring. But he kept his eyes wide open to watch his brother being taken over by the emperor of demons.

"N-Niisan!" he called weakly. He wanted to move forward but his body won't listen to him.

'Take this chance to run away,' the voice in his head advised. Even with the emperor of demons right in front of them, the voice managed to sound calm and soothing. 'He won't be as caring as your older brother had been. If I had just killed Okumura Rin immediate—'

"No!" Yukio yelled to the voice in his head. Wind seemed to lash on his skin as Rin's body turned towards his voice. "Don't you dare hurt my brother!"

"Yukio," Rin called out. But it was merely using Rin's voice, for Yukio instantly knew that it wasn't his brother that was calling him. Yet for some reason, there was a hint of a familiar feeling in that voice. "Okumura Yukio, am I right? You've grown..."

Yukio stared at Rin's eyes in confusion with a bit of jealousy and anger.

"You're my father, right?" he asked. "Why won't you know my name?"

Satan laughed. "I'm not your daddy, kiddo. Do you think I wouldn't know which dam' brats are mine?"

"But Niisan is—!"

Another laugh ensued, like Yukio had just told Satan a joke. "Do you really think..." Satan asked, his tone mocking. "... that this brat of mine is your older brother?"

"Yes," Yukio said without hesitation. "Why won't Niisan be—?"

"You're not my child!" Rin — or rather, Satan — bellowed. In a flash, Rin's body was right in front of Yukio again and was holding the younger boy by the neck. "Why would you think that I'm your father when you don't even have my flames? Because it rejected you due to your dam' weak body? Don't make me laugh!"

Flames burst as Satan tightened his hold on Yukio's neck. The younger can only choke for air.

"My flames never reject! It f'cking kills whoever is not worthy enough to wield it!"

Satan watched in amusement as Yukio's hands raised to pry the death grip around his neck. Those hands were calloused and firm, unlike those hands that held him before: calloused too, but smaller and softer.

Suddenly, the hands that touched him felt like burning. Satan yelled as he yanked his hand back, finally releasing the younger boy from his grip. Yukio dropped on the ground on his hands and knees, coughing as air seemed to assault his lungs. There were blue flames around his body too, but softer and more gentle compared to that from the emperor of Gehenna.

Yukio stood up. His eyes were lightning blue, which weren't his own. Satan recognized them and cursed.

"Klaud... Klaud Nine," the demon snarled. "What is a f'cking angel like you doing in the body of that child?"

"As you should already know," Klaud, the owner of the eyes and the voice that Yukio kept hearing in his head, replied. He stretched out Yukio's hand and a silvery blue sword of flames materialized. "This child is also my host."

Satan held out Rin's hand too, making his own sword of blue flames. He raised the sword up, striking at Klaud who immediately parried the attack.

"Why do you always get in my f'cking way?!" Satan asked, delivering blow after blow at Yukio's yielding body. Klaud could feel that Yukio's body was weakening from the attacks and his possession.

'Leave him alone!' a voice yelled at Satan. Rin's body hesitated as the owner tried to take possession again.

Klaud took the second of hesitation as his chance to attack.

"You can't f'ckin' kill me!" Satan yelled, regaining possession of Rin's body. He readied his sword for a thrust, just as Klaud had done.

'Don't you dare hurt my brother!'

Those words replayed in Yukio's mind. Klaud merely remembered them spoken to him by the child he possessed in order to set foot in Gehenna. That child remained sleeping as Klaud took possession of his body. And that child would die as the flame sword held by his brother sank on his chest just as Klaud managed to move his aim away from the older brother's chest.

"Yu—" Satan started saying as he realised that Klaud's sword didn't reach him. His own sword of flames pierced Yukio's body instead. Without resistance at all, the sword drew blood that splashed on Rin's face and began flowing down uncontrollably.

The blood woke Rin up.

"Y-Yu—" Rin stuttered, gripping on the sword lodged on the chest of his younger brother. Yukio's eyes remained open, but they were glassy and unseeing.

A door opening and the sound of footsteps on the grass broke into the scene.

"Rin, Yuki-chan," Shiemi said, turning towards the brothers. "I, Kamiki-san and Takara-san passed the—"

And then she stopped as she finally saw the scene. Rin was gripping a sword of flames that struck Yukio's chest. Both boys were covered in the younger's blood. The sword burned on slightly before sizzling into nothing.

"S-Shiemi... Y-Yukio..." Rin said as he caught Yukio's body before it hit the ground. "H-he...lp."

But the girl wasn't listening. She wasn't even looking at him. She was staring at Yukio's bloodied body.

"Why..." Shiemi's tears fell down without her knowing. "Why did you k-kill him?"

Rin didn't answer. He barely whispered, "Help Yu—"

"Why did you kill Yuki-chan, Rin?!" Shiemi yelled. She ran towards the door from which she came from, like running away from the scene would make it unreal.

Rin watched her go, clutching on a body that was getting colder fast.

"Help Yukio..." Rin cried. "HELP MY YOUNGER BROTHER, DAMMIT!"

TBC