Disclaimer: Ao no Exorcist/Blue Exorcist belongs to Kazue Katou. May Yang, Quian Li Yang and all the new demons are invented by me.

I would like to thank Poisonsnake23 for beta-reading this chapter and making some suggestions/corrections.

Chapter 11 - Love

Rin is showing May around the Academy.

"True Cross Academy sure is huge... Our China Academy is nothing compared to it." May comments while looking around. After a while, she turns to stare at Rin, "Earlier... when I saw you and Yukio walk toward the cafeteria side by side... I felt happy..." and she smiles, "...I was glad to see that you're finally more relaxed around each other..."

"Forgive me for asking... Has something happened between you and Yukio? Sorry... It's just... I remember that Yukio told me that he looked up to his brother, so I wasn't expecting to feel such tension between the two of you..."

"Did Yukio... really say that?" Rin asks, staring ahead.

"Huh?"

"...That he looked up to me?" Rin shyly completes his question.

"...He said that he looked up to both his father and his brother..." May lifts her eyes to gaze at the sky, "But... I remember that the moment he said 'my brother'... he said it with a smile."

At these words, Rin smiles too, blushing slightly, "...So... you said you want to become a Tamer. You know, I'm planning to become one too-" he starts off, pointing a thumb at his chest.

"Oh, about that!" and May stops walking. Rin is taken aback by the sudden change of tone of her voice, "Do you know where I can find the Tamer instructor I've been assigned to? She should already be waiting for me."

"Huh? She...?"

"If I remember correctly, during the exam, she was assigned to you as your supervisor."

Rin quickly realizes that May is talking about Shura.

Rin accompanies May to the training section of the Academy and introduces her to Shura.

"I'm May Yang, Junior Second Class. Pleasure to meet you, Ms. Kirigakure." and she bows at Shura.

"Pleasure to meet ya too..." Shura says with a straight face, "Our support team has yet to show up... As soon as they arrive, we'll get started."

"All right."

"Huh? Support team?" Rin wonders, looking at his teacher.

"So... I heard Yukio and ya have a past... Or something like that..." Shura quotes Rin's words.

"We met on a mission and he... he saved my life." May says looking down.

"Reeeeally...? Ya mean like he saved ya durin' that Yang investigation thing?"

"That was-"

"Yeah, it was all part of the plan, I heard that... Though it didn't quite look like it to me, if ya ask me. But, whatever, yar free now, so what does that matter?..."

"He... saved your life too!" May screams out. Shura is taken aback by the fact she knew about the Aomori case, "You know who he really is. Please, don't let what happened affect that. He..."

"As I guessed. Ya were really coverin' up for him..." Shura comments with a more relaxed tone, breaking the tense mood that's been building up during the last couple exchange of words, "Say, why do ya care for him so much?"

"I... may not know much about him. But... what he showed me that day... What he said... What it meant to me... is enough to make me want to help him any way I can. Because I don't just owe him my life. I owe him... everything. And I'd do anything in my power, anything... for him!"

"...Man, ya sound like yar head over heals in love with him." Shura says, astonished.

"I am." May answers with a bright, innocent smile. Shura and Rin are both taken aback by her so easily admitted statement. Shura turns toward Rin and notices a somehow envious look in his eyes and headlocks him, dragging him a few steps away from May.

"Aarrrrgh!" Rin screams.

"Hey, if that girl is serious about what she just said and she's gonna eventually get Yukio to herself, than this could be yar chance!" Shura whispers to him.

"Chance?! What are you talking about?!" Rin replies trying to free himself from Shura.

"Come on... Ya know what..." Shura implies.

"H-How do you-" Rin realizes what the red-haired woman is talking about.

"Oh, I know! After we're done with this trainin' session we should have this girl talk to Moriyama-"

"No! Please," his tone begging.

"Huh? What's wrong with that?"

"Did I just hear you mention a training session? Shouldn't the two of you be talking about this instead of that?"

"Jeez, I was just tryin' to help ya." and Rin finally gets himself free from her grip.

"It's just..."

"Rin... I'm so sorry!... I... I'm not ready for love yet."

"Nevermind... If you got training to do, then I'm outta here." Rin says before taking his leave from the room.

"That idiot..." Shura comments.

Konekomaru and Izumo meet just outside the training section.

"Oh, Kamiki! You too?"

"I received a call from Ms. Kirigakure asking me to come here."

"I see."

"Oh, here ya are, guys! Come in, please!" Shura pops her head outside the door and invites them to enter the training room. They do as they are ordered, "All right, kiddos! Thank ya for takin' yar time to assist Ms. Yang here on her special trainin' session!"

"Please, just call me 'May'." the girl smiles at Shura.

"As ya wish, gurl." Shura smiles back at her and turns to face Konekomaru and Izumo again, "I've been specially requested, not to say forced, to teach May how to perform a ritual..." the woman declares and the two guys stare at her dumbfounded, "There're two versions of it out there, but for time-wise reasons, what I'm gonna teach her is the shorter one."

"Huh? What's this ritual about?" Izumo asks.

"It's a blessing ritual. Ya studied them, right?"

"Yes, we did." Konekomaru answers, "But I thought that only Tamers were required to perform rituals."

"It usually works that way for standard versions... But shorter versions are different... This, in particular, requires two Tamers to perform a dance and two Arias to chant a sutra... So this is where ya come into play... Here's the thing: Miwa! Ya and I are gonna do the chantin'... Kamiki! May! Ya girls are gonna do the dancin'... As I said, we're short in time... Startin' today, we got one week to master this ritual... So... ya ready?"

When the session ends, May and Izumo go sit on a bench next to each other.

"You're really amazing, Kamiki. You could learn the ritual dance so fast."

"Thanks. The basic moves were kinda similar to those of a ritual dance I know, so..."

"Okay, everyone, good job! That's enough for today. Now take yar leaves and enjoy some rest! See ya again tomorrow, same time, same place. Got it?"

"Thank you for all, Ms. Kirigakure. Thank you for your help Kamiki, Miwa."

"Don't mention it, glad I could help!" Konekomaru smiles.

"Same for me." Izumo adds.

As May heads out, she crosses Yukio who's walking around the school corridors, "In the end..." and Yukio stops walking midway to turn and face May, "...I couldn't offer you something to drink that day."

"Sorry... It was my fault... So allow me to make up for that."

They go to the Academy's cafeteria.

"I heard you started your training for the ritual dance with Ms. Kirigakure."

"Yes, it went pretty well for a first try. Also thanks to the help of Kamiki and Miwa..."

"I'm sorry... You had nothing to do with all this. Yet..."

"It's okay... All I did, I did it on my own free will. I wanted to help you... and I was prepared to do anything for that."

"Am I a horrible person... if I feel grateful about it?"

In that moment, unnoticed, Shiemi walks by the cafeteria and sees them. She stares at them from a distance.

May starts recounting, "...Since I was born into a family of great exorcists, I was told I had the duty to live up to my heritage, and so I tried. But, since I was afraid of the demons, I failed... I tried more. And I failed again. I was... trapped in a vicious cycle, and no one could understand how I felt. Then, that day, you dragged me out of it... It may have been unintentional, but you did... You gave me a reason to overcome my fears... and that reason was 'I want to become someone like him.'... It began like that... then, at one point, it turned into more than that. I realized... that I wanted to become someone worthy to be by your side. Because... before I knew it, I fell in love with you."

Yukio is taken aback by May's declaration, alongside Shiemi, who's hearing their conversation from where she's standing.

"You... You're mistaking your admiration toward me for that..." Yukio states with a small smile, recalling how Shiemi looked up to him and believing that May is just feeling the same way.

"I'm not... At first, I thought that too. But then, one day..." May slightly stands from her seat in order to reach for one of Yukio's hands, which she grabs and guides toward her fast beating heart, placing it over it.

"W-What are you-" Yukio stammers, embarassed.

"...thinking about you... I felt this. And... the day I came here at the Japan Branch to meet you again, I... had no doubts anymore." May declares. Yukio is shocked at her words, "I was willing to tell you this that same day, but..."

"You're my hero. And I-"

"Stop it."

"...I don't except you to feel the same way I do." May keeps talking, "And even if you never will... Just hearing you say that you feel grateful toward me... Right now, I'm... so happy..." she says, breaking down in tears, smiling as bright as she ever could. After a few moments, Yukio frees his hand from May's grip and with one single finger gently brushes one of her tears away, smiling back at her.

A few seconds pass and, unnoticed, Shiemi silently walks away.

In her mind, she starts recalling different memories from her past.

"...Than, that day, you dragged me out of it."

"What is holding you back?!... I think what you really want to do is find the Garden of Amahara!"

"You gave me a reason to overcome my fears..."

"I'm a big scaredy-cat, so I came here to toughen up! I owe it all to you! Thank you!"

"'I wanted to become someone like him.'"

"How can he be so strong?"

"I too... wanna help everyone."

"I'm way behind everyone else... and not nearly good enough!"

"I'm gonna be an exorcist!"

"Shiemi! We're both gonna be exorcists!"

"Well, I have something to tell you too. I think you can handle it now. Hear me out."

"I decided not to be an exorcist!..."

"Rin... I'm sorry to break my promise."

At one point, she lifts her gaze and sees Rin, who's leaning over a railing, sadly staring into the distance.

"It began like that... then, at one point, it turned into more than that... Before I knew it, I fell in love with you."

"What is love?"

"Thinking about you... I felt this."

Shiemi brings a hand to her chest, feeling for her heartbeat.

"Then, if you still want to take the exam... I won't stop you."

Shiemi's confused expression instantly turns into a determined one.

January 18th - True Cross Academy, Japan Branch

After a week, it's time to put the plan into action. Mephisto is in his office. He's standing by the room's main window, staring at the view outside, his hands joined behind his back.

"The time has come..."

Yukio gathers Rin and the others to the cram school to brief them on a mission, and they show up in their new uniforms. Rin's not too happy about the style.

"So this is what we're gonna wear now?... Well, at least this uniform looks a whole bunch better than that fashion reject's." the half demon comments.

"Fashion reject?" Ryuji asks.

"Arturo... Augusto... Whatever..."

"Huh, you mean the Paladin." Ryuji realizes.

"The not-for-much-longer Paladin." Rin corrects him.

"You aware that it could take years to get to that rank? Not to mention, you gonna need to acquire all five Meisters... Think you can do that?"

"...I got a plan..." Rin smiles at himself and turns to look at Yukio, who's standing behind the teacher's desk, looking for something inside of his briefcase.

"Man, these uniforms are gonna be fine during winter... but there's no way in hell they can force us to wear them during summer!" Renzo comments.

"Mr. Okumura did, he just rolled the sleeves up." Konekomaru comments.

"That doesn't count! That guy has high heat tolerance! He's like a demon!" Renzo retorts.

"Well, I have the opposite problem..." Izumo intrudes, "I'm okay with wearing a skirt during summer... but wearing one during winter and without stockings to cover my legs totally sucks."

"A lot of exorcists don't wear the official uniform at all." Konekomaru points out, "Some wear only the jacket. So I think it's okay if you-"

"I think your uniform is perfectly fine as it is, Izumo!" Renzo interrupts his friend, "If you ever feel cold, you just need to call for me and-"

"You jerk... Go die." Izumo sighs.

Meanwhile, May reaches Yukio at the teacher's desk. They exchange a smile.

"Everyone, your attention, please!" Yukio calls out to the exorcists, "We've been requested to take you on a special mission today... Some dangerous demons have been spotted at Kongo-Shinzan, in particular around the area where the Impure King was defeated, so this evening we're going to travel there and help our Kyoto Field Office colleagues get rid of them before they reach the city."

"Weren't we supposed to not be sent back home for a while? Now, this sucks." Renzo comments, not too excited at the idea to go back to Kyoto.

"Well, it's for a mission..." Konekomaru points out.

"Is there a connection between these demons and the Impure King?" Ryuji asks.

"Hq is currently running an investigation to verify that... But it's a possibility." Yukio answers, "Now, let me brief you on this mission's details..."

After the meeting, they walk out of the classroom. Rin catches sight of Shiemi, who's wondering along the corridor and approaches her.

"Shiemi?"

"Rin!"

"What are you doing here?"

"...I came to hand over an admission form." Shiemi smiles.

"Admission form?"

"...Starting this April, I'm going to attend cram school again. I'm... going to become a Tamer."

"W-What?!"

"I promised you we'd both become exorcists. And... you finally became one. So now it's my turn!"

"Y-You... Man, not this again. Would you stop confusing me already? What's this all of a sudden? You said you'd give up on that."

"I was the confused one... But... I'm not anymore. Rin... I... I'm going to become someone worthy to be by your side! So... please, wait for me."

"...Y-You... You talked with May, didn't you?! That's why you-" Rin asks pointing a finger at her.

"Uh-huh, it's not that." Shiemi denies shaking her head, "I felt this." Shiemi grabs the hand Rin was still keeping raised and brings it toward her chest. Rin starts to panic.

"W-w-w-what are you-" the moment Rin's palm collides with Shiemi's chest, her fast heartbeating starts echoing throughout his entire body. He lets the warm, wonderful sensation sink in for a few moments, before reaching out to forcefully trap Shiemi in his embrace. He uses the girl's shoulder to hide the embarassment displaying all over his face.

"Rin?"

"Consider it... an incentive."

Shiemi smiles into his shoulder.