Date: XX-XX-XXXX
Since I could remember, Yukio had always been a crybaby, crying for the most unnecessary things, from a bug bite to a small paper cut. It had always been me that took care of him from the big bad monsters that hid under his bed. It had always been me that took care of his every needs when the old man wasn't able to. So, when exactly did the roles change? When did Yukio become the younger brother that began to care for his older sister? The younger brother that outdid me in everything and became the social butterfly? When did everything change between the two of us?
Maybe.
Maybe.
Maybe, it's always been that way.
Maybe it hasn't.
Either way, we are siblings through and through. Twins, that have bonded to one another ever since we were in our mother's womb. We survived the night that the Vatican and our mother's father were planning to kill us. We survived our premature birth together.
As long I know, death has always been waiting for us, whether it be because God has been after us since the beginning or because we were that unlucky.
Death was always waiting for us, watching us, clawing at us.
But it would just have to wait.
We weren't going anywhere anytime soon.
Making our way back to the lobby took longer than I would have imagined, it may have been partly due to the fact that I had to reopen my wound every time it would fully close, or the fact that Shiemi kept hovering over me like a mother hen. Or it could be the fact that after having to reopen my wounds every so often, my legs were getting the best of me with my blood loss. I would like to believe that it wasn't because Suguro and I kept fighting over letting me out of his arms, I did not need the blackmail that would soon follow by my classmates, I value you my pride thank you very much. It didn't help with Kamiki making comments on our fighting, we are not an old married couple and I would like to keep it that way. I am not saying the male isn't attractive, more like he isn't my cup of tea, and I love tea.*
Turning the corner, I saw a glimpse of Yukio speaking to Neuhaus-sensei, but he came to a sudden stop when he saw me in Suguro's arms. I would have laughed at how wide his eyes got if this wasn't a serious situation.
"Yukio, if you don't close your mouth, flies could fly in and make it their home again," I said.
"Don't ever bring that incident up again," my twin muttered. "But honestly Nee-san, you shouldn't be in such a hurry to marry, Father has yet to meet the guy, let's not forget last time you brought a guy home."
"I was teaching him how to make chocolates for White Day!"
"Of course, whatever you say." I could feel my eyebrow twitch in annoyance at his cheeky response. "Suguro-san, do you mind letting my sister down? I would like to see the wound Koneko-san told me about."
As Suguro let me down gently, I was knocked down to the ground by a foot to the back, "Oh, my. Excuse me, young Okumura-chan. Alright, thanks for your hard work, all you pages."
I craned my head to look above me and toward the annoying voice that belonged to the King of Time and Space. Around me I could hear the voices of my classmates as some began to worry about my already open wound and others questioning why the chairman was even there in the first place. Good questions, but they couldn't ask the most important one such as getting him off of me? Thanks for the love you guys, you make me proud to call you my classmates (friends?).
"What? You didn't really think I would let a mid-level dem-" I didn't let him finish his sentence before I lifted my body up against him and let him fall on his back.
"Look you clown, next time try not to land on an injured person, do you know how much that hurts?"
Mephisto immediately lifted his head when I mentioned my injury, eyes turning slightly red as he glanced all over my being to see my wound.
"Doctors please see to each of the students' injuries," as soon as he spoke five other exorcists appeared from the woodworks. Each of them going to different students, while Yukio rushed towards me.
"Okumura-chan, I believe that your wound should be best taken care of in a separate room," spoke my brother.
The three who were with me began to protest at yet another delay to my wound, until Mephisto spoke up. "I agree with Okumura-sensei, after all, that would means having to take off her shirt. And none of us want to deal hormonal teenage boys tonight. Now do we?"
The so called "hormonal teenage boys" began to turn red, red like the shoes of a famous hero protagonist.**
"Bunch of perverts the lot of you," I muttered under my breath.
That left the boys (technically only 3) flabbergasted and stammering, but before they could even say anything, Mephisto spoke once again, "Now if you haven't already noticed, you were all in a safe environment, the key word here is were. Leaving the auditorium in where we had a watchful eye on you all led us to improvise new hiding spots. Meaning that this was your Exwire Certification Exam! Technically it began since the study camp—" excuse me, since the what now? Meaning one of the teachers saw me summoning the Gate of Gehenna. Mephisto spoke on and on while I had my mild panic attack, Yukio seeing this began to excuse us and led us to a separate room, that looked to be a makeshift infirmary.
The worried younger brother that Yukio is began to talk about hypovolemic shock, and how my blood loss was affecting my body as he slowly unwrapped the makeshift bandage that was Suguro's vest. He sucked in his breath as he got to the second layer, of the bandage, and finally to the end. He let out his breath as he saw my skin begin to heal itself. Muttering how it was too much blood and getting an x-ray to see if my organs have healed as well. I glanced at Yukio's face to see something that I haven't seen from him in a long while.
Tears, he had tears running down his face, I didn't need any words to explain why he was like this. He was scared. He was scared of losing another family member, and I knew he would not live it down. His turquoise eyes glistened as the silent tears kept coming, the male who shed his once crybaby self, was crying in front of me. He kept his gaze down as he continued his work, grabbing a stethoscope from his many pockets to hear my heart and lungs, after that he continued to take my blood pressure before wrapping up already sealed wound, claiming it to be for prying eyes. As he finished doing this, he got up from his seat and walked across the room to one of the many cabinets, as I saw him taking out random tubes and chambers then proceeding to walk to the fridge and taking out a blood bag and a saline bag. Guess that meant I needed a blood transfusion. As he connected the tubing and preparing my arm for the 19-gauge needle to make its way into my arm he kept silent not saying a word. The few times he would stay silent when he cared for my wounds, it would always mean that I had taken it too far, he would never give me a lecture, but would instead silently scold me. As he finished inserting the gauge into my arm, he grabbed a piece of tape to keep it in place before placing a cotton path over it.
"Yuki. M'Sorry."
He walked out of the room explaining that he would return once he and the other exorcists have finished grading our results. As he opened the door, I saw the rest of my classmates standing alongside the opposite side of the wall, each of them looking up from their conversations to quickly bombard Yukio with questions. He motioned them inside and whispered something to them before making his way back to the cafeteria where I assumed the other exorcists still waited.
One by one the cram students made their way inside and toward my bed, Konekomaru and Shima sitting at the bed next to mine, Shiemi sat herself down at the foot my bed, while the rest grabbed some nearby chairs and surrounded me.
"How you holding up Okumura?" I looked over to Suguro as he asked me.
"I've been worse," and that wasn't technically a lie. I've gone through a lot worse with Gabriel, Neuhaus doesn't reach his expectations. I watched them flinch as I said that, no doubt remembering the scars I had on my back.
We sat in silence not knowing what else to say and for a while I listened to their shadows asking for my forgiveness, they claimed they should have been there, but it wasn't their fault, even I didn't know that the exorcist was a survivor of the Blue Night. Sure, exorcists have their own grudges and views against Dad, but when I heard my teacher claim he was possessed by my father, I couldn't help but just stand there with wide eyes. My brothers and father always spoke of coexisting with humans, and forgiving them of their sins but they would never actively seek hurting them. So, on the night of the Blue Night my Father possessing those exorcists wasn't because he wished to hurt them, but because it was the only thing, he could think of to protect the family he had. In the aftermath, he made sure he paid back the families he affected with boundless luck the following years.
"You were amazing out there Rin," whispered Shiemi. The others, minus the two silent males, nodded in agreement.
"You outdid us all Okumura-san, you'll definitely pass."
"If you say that Konekomaru, I'm pretty sure we all did, after all, this took teamwork." I said.
"Unlike you all, I probably won't pass," we turned to Kamiki as she spoke up. "Before the exam, Okumura-sensei kept reminding us about working as a team. In other words, the quality for exorcists is the ability to cooperate while fighting, and so that means I'd be the worst out of us, right? I mean, I was hesitating and letting my mind wander around to the point Okumura had to snap me out of it."
It took us by surprise hearing the first to speak out be Suguro, "You sure ain't the worst one here. Those guys decided to just sit off in the sidelines the entire time. Do you even have anything to say for yourselves?"
His exclamation led us to look over at the two silent students who have never spoke a word unless it was necessary. Meaning, Yamada spouting nonsense over the game he was playing and Takara using his puppet to speak, in the not so nicest of ways.
As we kept speaking to one another, no one noticed the time going by until Yukio walked into the room kicking everyone out and back to their rooms. I looked at each of their smiling faces before they left, and that's when it hit me.
These guys.
Each and every one of them.
They, they are my friends.
I always thought of them as humans that needed protection.
Humans that should show their gratitude to my father instead of the one who truly hates them.
I never noticed, that until now, I have always been alone.
Alone with my family.
My father, my brothers, memories of a mother I do not know, and demons who worship me for my blood.
They on the other hand.
They don't look at me as Satan's daughter, the Princess of Shadow demons, the wielder of the Holy Flames.
They saw me as Okumura Rin, a fellow exorcist in training.
It was these thoughts in my head that got me thinking something I thought I always knew.
Who am I?
Lesson: What's my name?
*Rin's shadow reopened her wounds the whole time, while she may not have unsheathed Kurikara, her demonic blood still ends up protecting her.
**Please tell me I don't have to explain this reference.
***Hypovolemic shock happens when a significant loss of blood or body fluids drops your blood volume. This is a life-threatening emergency. For more information go to a-to-z-guides/hypovolemic-shock#1 or just google it, or ask Alexa, Siri, Cortana, Bixby, whatever floats your boat.
A shorter chapter.
PS. Sorry for the wait.