AN: Sorry for the wait! We spent last week releasing several chapters of Forever Yours, but we'll be back to our regular updating schedule for Sincerely and Until Next Time.

Hope you enjoy today's chapter!

Ryuuji bit his lip and tried to keep still as Yukio tended to his wound. The younger twin had dropped by his dorm to deliver today's class notes, and also to check up on his injury. Ryuuji appreciated the effort the other was going through for him, but at that moment, he wanted nothing more than to continue resting. He knew it was ungrateful of him to feel this way, but he still felt tired despite having slept most of the day away.

It was probably the painkillers' fault. Ryuuji had been taking them as prescribed and they had been effective for the most part. Despite the slight twinges of pain the tall teen felt from time to time, he mostly felt numb. Of course, he still had to account for the incoming migraine that was beginning to form in the back of his head.

This is the worst… he thought, scowling. He was irritated at himself for having gotten injured this badly. Though the hospital had discharged him yesterday, Ryuuji knew he was in for a long period of recovery. He wasn't even allowed to go to school for the rest of this week. The fact irked him, even if he was well aware that he wouldn't be able to focus in the first place.

Ryuuji winced as Yukio tied the bandages tightly around his shoulder.

"Ah, was that too hard? Sorry, Ryuuji-kun," Yukio said from his place behind him. He ran his hands over the dressings to make sure it was all in place before helping his arm back into the sling.

Ryuuji gave the other a strained smile.

"It's alright." The tall teen swallowed back the discomfort he felt and carefully leaned back on the pillows that were propped up behind him. "Thanks," he told the other in a quiet voice. "Ya didn't hafta go through all that trouble."

"Nonsense." Yukio gathered his things into his bag and sat on the edge of the bed with a smile. "After all, you're Nii-san's best friend and Ren-kun's as well for that matter. It's no trouble at all. How is the medication treating you?"

If Ryuuji could have shrugged, he would have. Instead, a slight grimace crossed his lips. "I'm still a lil sore," he confessed, "but I'm alright. Medicine's been makin' me tired as hell though."

"Yes, the medication you're on is a tad strong." Yukio smiled sympathically. "But it's needed, at least for another week. I'm sure Nii-san has been helping you with things, though. Am I right?"

At the mention of Rin, Ryuuji's expression slowly smoothed out. "Yeah, he's been keepin' an eye on me," he said, looking down at his lap with a soft smile. He glanced back up at Yukio with a more relaxed expression. "He and Konekomaru have been hoverin' around me since I got back. Yer brother almost skipped class to stay here," he told him, looking amused and disapproving all at once. "Shima wanted to join in too, but thankfully Neko managed to drag them both to school this mornin'."

"I see." Yukio's expression softened. "That's good. God knows those two need all the help they can get."

"Heh, tell me about it."

Ryuuji's smile soon faded, however. His expression turned more serious as he met Yukio's eyes. "So have you heard more about what happened the other day? About how that demon managed to get in?"

"Ah, yes. It was just something faulty with the barriers placed around the school. Basic maintenance was neglected and it was already taken care of." Yukio pushed up his glasses and smiled. "It won't happen again so you shouldn't worry too much about that."

Ryuuji let out a sound of relief. "That's good," he muttered. "Don't think I could handle another encounter in this condition." He shot the sling his arm was resting on a disparaging look.

Yukio's smile faded. "Regarding your condition, I would like to speak to you about all this." He stood up and crossed his arms. "I'm sure you don't need me to tell you, but I'll do it anyway. By chanting to try and make yourself a target, you placed Nii-san and yourself in a very dangerous position. You almost died. An Aria is not supposed to take the front lines. An Aria is supposed to let others defend him. The way you acted was unorthodox and out of line. There were exorcists already heading to your position and, in fact, your little stunt lead the demon away from their formation." He frowned. "You cannot act upon a whim when you become an exorcist. There is a way things are done and you must follow them. If you don't, you place yourself and others in danger. Do you understand?"

Ryuuji winced slightly at Yukio's tone, but he knew he deserved the lecture. What he had done had been foolish, and he had known it. Still...

"I do. 'Course I do. But I saw no other choice back then," he said, grimacing. "I didn't know when help would arrive and we were in a tight spot. If I hadn't done that, then it'd be Konekomaru who'd be here instead of me. Or worse, Rin might've..." Ryuuji trailed off and hoped the look he shot Yukio was enough to finish that sentence. His jaw clenched as he remembered Rin reaching for his sword. If help hadn't arrived in time, Ryuuji knew the other would've risked exposure to save him, just like he had before, when he had first awakened his powers. Frustration rose inside him at his own weakness. How many times would he have to depend on other people to rescue him?

"I saw no other choice," Ryuuji repeated. "I can only be glad it was just me who got hurt."

"That's not good enough, Ryuuji-kun." Yukio's voice was stern and hard. "You are not a wall. You are not a Knight. The attack happened in True Cross Academy! How can you not think that there were exorcists nearby?" He shook his head. "You ended up putting Nii-san in more danger by throwing yourself in the middle than if you were to just let the exorcists do their job. With you injured, you backed Rin into a corner. If my father hadn't arrived in time, he would have revealed himself to save your life without a second thought."

Yukio furrowed his brow and glared. "If that happens, they will do away with Nii-san just like any other demon and they'll take pleasure in the fact that they killed the son of Satan."

Ryuuji's blood ran cold at Yukio's words. Just the thought of the Order finding out about Rin made him sick to his stomach. In the back of his mind, he'd known this would be the outcome if they did, but he hadn't wanted to think about it.

Now, Yukio was bringing his fears to the surface.

"Ya don't gotta tell me that. I know!" he snapped, overcome by his own self-loathing. They'd gotten lucky, and he knew it. But he wasn't going to rely on luck again. He couldn't risk it. He was going to do everything that was in his power to protect Rin.

He was sure Yukio felt the same. He knew it was why the other seemed so angry at him. Ryuuji couldn't begrudge him for that considering what had happened. But he had to make sure the other understood they were on the same page. That's why, despite the rising ache at his temples, he made sure to look firm as he met Yukio's eyes.

"I'm worried about him too, Yukio. So don't worry. This won't happen again. I ain't letting Rin die, not on my watch."

The younger Okumura stared at him for several seconds before he sighed. "You two really do deserve each other," he muttered under his breath as he adjusted his glasses. He grabbed his bag and placed it on his shoulder.

"Listen to me, Ryuuji-kun." Yukio frowned, although it was softer than before. "Whatever your intentions are, the fact stands that, in your current state, you are a chink in Nii-san's armor. If you continue being reckless, if you continue to act on instinct, you will fall and you'll bring Rin down with you. Please think about that." The young exorcist turned around and left the room, leaving no further space for argument.

Ryuuji watched Yukio go with a slight frown. He let out a sigh and let his head rest back on the wall behind him tiredly.

That went well, he thought as he closed his eyes. His head throbbed dully, but Ryuuji ignored it as best as he could as he thought on Yukio's parting words. The younger twin was right. He really had to be more careful. Otherwise...

Ryuuji thought of Rin's worried eyes as he stared at him lying on the hospital bed. He thought of the grim determination that had settled on the thin line of Rin's lips. Ryuuji felt troubled. Worse, he felt afraid. Yukio's words echoed strongly in his mind, filling him with urgency.

He had to get stronger. For Rin's sake. Ryuuji's wasn't going to let himself be what caused his best friend's downfall.

"Ryuuji, we're back!"

Ryuuji's quiet thoughts were interrupted by a loud, yet familiar voice. Rin rushed into the room, followed by Konekomaru. He was carrying his bag and a wrapped lunchbox in his hand.

"Renzou was coming too but we ran into Yukio downstairs and those two ended up going off together," he explained, grinning. He plopped himself onto Ryuuji's bed, bouncing lightly as he held out the lunchbox. "Here's dinner! How're ya feeling?"

Ryuuji winced slightly at Rin's loud volume, but the lunchbox in his best friend's hand made up for his discomfort. "…I'm alright," he said, ignoring the look Konekomaru shot him as he set down his bag on his desk.

"I am!" Ryuuji insisted, scowling. He glanced down at the lunchbox in front of him, and reached for it one-handedly. "What'd ya make?" he asked Rin.

"Tonkatsu!" Rin's voice was a little softer this time and he pulled up his feet to sit cross-legged. He leaned forward to unwrap the box for him.

"Thanks." Ryuuji set the unopened box on his lap and picked up the chopsticks with his right hand. "So how was school today? Cram school, I mean. Is your dad doin' alright?"

Rin nodded and pulled his books out of his bag. "He's still limping a bit but he's better than yesterday." His tone was slightly more docile as he pulled his textbook into his lap.

Ryuuji frowned at the news. He wasn't surprised, but he still felt guilty over the fact that the man had gotten hurt. His earlier conversation with Yukio made him wonder if Fujimoto-sensei could have avoided getting hurt if Ryuuji had done things differently.

There's no point in regretting what had already happened, the teen reminded himself. He took an absentminded bite of his food and tried not to let his thoughts lower his mood.

"Did Yukio-kun bring you these?"

Konekomaru broke the silence as he set his books down on Ryuuji's desk. He pointed to the neat stack of papers that Yukio had dropped off.

"Ah, yeah." Ryuuji looked at the small pile that awaited his perusal. Even though there were only two more days of school left this week, his earlier irritation at his situation rose. "I hate missin' school," he muttered, scowling into his food.

"You're not missin' much!" Rin outright whined as he opened the textbook on his lap. He looked down at the words and sighed. "Though it's all harder to understand without you takin' notes next to me."

"Sorry to disappoint," Ryuuji said dryly before taking another bite. More than half of his lunchbox was empty already. "I'll be back come Monday, so hang in there in the meanwhile."

Rin blinked and turned his head to stare at his best friend. His eyebrows furrowed slightly. "You okay?" he murmured.

Ryuuji glanced up at Rin, startled by the question. The crease on his forehead deepened, and upon catching an equally concerned expression on Konekomaru's face, Ryuuji realized that the frown that had formed on his face with Yukio's visit had yet to fade away.

"Sorry. My mood's a little..." Ryuuji shrugged with the shoulder that he could move. The knot of frustration in his stomach tightened. "I just wanna heal already," he muttered, setting his chopsticks down on his unfinished dinner.

Rin frowned and looked down at his book with a somber expression. "Sorry."

"I didn't mean—" Ryuuji felt guilty for putting that expression on Rin's face. "Ya got nothin' to apologize about. This ain't your fault."

I'm the one who got myself in this situation, Ryuuji thought with frustration, unaware of the effect his words had on his two friends, who felt equally at fault for his injuries.

"Just… try and take it easy, Bon," Konekomaru eventually said, his voice quiet. "You'll be back on your feet before you know it. Don't get yourself down about this."

Ryuuji's mood refused to be that easily dissuaded, but he knew his friend was right. He let out a heavy sigh and gave the two a slight, apologetic smile. "Yeah, guess you're right…"

Rin looked at Ryuuji's shoulder and put on a smile. "Yeah and we'll be here 'til then." His voice was light. "So eat your food already! You gotta keep your strength up!"

Ryuuji looked down at his lunch box, and though he had lost most of his appetite, he found himself picking up his chopsticks again. "I know, I know. I will," he said.

A silence fell over the room that was both tense and uncomfortable but no one had the courage to break it. It was a long while before Rin gave up on homework and closed his book. It was impossible without Ryuuji to help him anyway.

But as he looked up, his mouth open to speak, Rin was met with a rare sight. Ryuuji's head was lolling forward and the chopsticks were slipping from his fingers.

"It must be the medication." Konekomaru's soft voice attracted Rin's attention. He nodded and the two of them helped ease Ryuuji under the covers and carefully placed his head on the pillow. The larger teen was slumbering deeply by the time Rin gathered the not-quite-empty lunchbox into his arms.

"I should get going." Rin smiled and bid goodbye to Konekomaru.

The walk home was long and lonely with nothing but his thoughts to accompany him, and they weren't exactly pleasant company. Memories of the moment Ryuuji was stabbed rattled around in his brain, giving him no respite. Even now, all he could see was the splatter of his friend's blood and the memory of ragged breath filled his ears. It had been like this since the second it had happened. Rin hadn't been able to stop thinking about it.

He arrived at his dorm much earlier than he had thought he would. As Rin closed the door behind him, it was suddenly grabbed and pried open again. Rin looked behind him and came face to face with none other than his father.

"Hey. I was calling you. Didn't hear me, did you?" Shiro walked in and ruffled his son's hair. Rin huffed and batted his hands away. "How's Ryuuji-kun doing?"

Rin sighed but he placed a smile onto his face. "It seems like he's doing better. He fell asleep because of his medication."

"I see." Shiro looked down at the young half demon and closed the door behind them both. "Well, come on. Let's go eat dinner. It doesn't seem like Yukio's home. He hasn't texted me."

"We ran into him on the way and he went off with Renzou." Rin followed his father down the hallway towards the cafeteria kitchen. His eyes darted down to his right leg which made brief contact with the floor as the man walked with a slight limp. Shiro chuckled, his smile growing softer.

"That's good. They'll probably have eaten dinner then." The priest rapped his knuckles on the counter in front of the window peeking into the kitchen. "Ukobach. Do you mind whipping something up for dinner?"

The small demon popped up and mewled happily in agreement before heading off to bustle around in the kitchen.

"And now you..." Shiro reached for his son and, before Rin could dodge out of the way, grabbed the back of his head and steered him towards one of the tables. "You're going to sit down and tell me what's on your mind."

"Ah! Leggo!" Rin flailed his arms at his father as he stumbled towards his seat and was pushed into it. "What the hell, you damn old man!" He growled.

"Mhmm, there we go. You're starting to act like your normal self." Shiro grinned. Rin flushed in response.

There was a long silence, punctuated only by the clinks of kitchenware from Ukobach's work. Rin stared at the surface of the table, the memories of Ryuuji's injury resurfacing once more. His father had noticed, that much was certain. Was he being that obvious?

Rin sighed. "I'm just worried about Ryuuji is all."

"Really?" Shiro leaned his arm on the table. "I mean, we're all worried about him. It was quite the ordeal you three went through and we're lucky it wasn't worse."

Rin winced. They had been lucky. But before the self-depreciating thoughts could bubble up too far, the young teen felt a heavy hand on his head. This one was softer than the one that had pushed him in his chair.

"This isn't your fault, Rin." Shiro spoke softly. "What happened wasn't because of you."

"You know who I am." Rin's eyebrows furrowed and he clenched his fists in his lap, not looking up or moving his head. "What if it was? What if it came for me?"

"It was just a coincidence—"

"But what if it wasn't!?"

Rin looked up now, his eyes wide and raw with the worry that had been festering in his chest for the past couple days. "What if… What if it happens again?" His voice trembled. He felt like a child now. Ryuuji might as well have been in Kyoto for there was so little he could have done at that moment to save his friend. Rin didn't want to feel that helplessness again. He didn't want Ryuuji to suffer because of him and his accursed blood.

Shiro looked at him and sighed. "Then what if it does?" The question caught Rin off guard. Shiro let his hand slide off his head and he moved it to his shoulder where his father gripped tightly to his son. "What if it is you that they're after? What will you do if they come for you again?"

Rin stared at his father, a light tremble running up his spine. "I… I have to get away from Ryuuji. To protect him."

"And do you think Ryuuji-kun will accept that?"

Rin realized it before Shiro had finished his question. "No."

"Then that isn't the right answer. What will you do if they come for you again?" Shiro's voice was strong and stern but as Rin looked into his eyes, he found that familiar support. The support that has always been there his whole life. The answer was simple. Obvious.

"I… I can't let them hurt my friends," Rin replied quietly.

"Then study. Train. Grow stronger so that you can fight them. But grow smart." Shiro's hand moved again. This time it rested on Rin's cheek in an affectionate touch, different from the stern tone speaking to him now. "You can do it, Rin. You can protect them. But you have to be intelligent about it."

Rin swallowed. He turned his head and pressed his forehead into his father's palm as he took a deep breath. His slumped back straightened and he placed his palms flat on the surface of the table. There was a surge of energy that strengthened him at that moment. To possibly know that there might be a day when he wouldn't need to fear for his friend's lives anymore… He wanted that. Rin wanted that desperately.

"I know who you are, Okumura Rin. You're a dork with a good heart."

Rin felt a second wind blow through his sails. That's right. He wasn't just the Son of Satan. He was going to be an exorcist. Just like his dad. With that strength, he'd make sure to protect those closest to him.

"I will." He nodded. "I'm going to do my best to learn how to fight better. And… And my friends won't have to suffer anymore."

Shiro smiled. "And neither will you."

Ukobach arrived with dinner and the mood, light with confidence, was easy and they ate their food in companionable silence. Shiro helped Rin with his homework afterwards and the young teen was able to rest easy that night.