This is it. The final chapter of Daddy. Thank you to all of you for reading this and special thanks to 27kirune, who suggested this. I cried when I wrote the ending. Thank you for suggesting this idea, which was fun to write, and really made me think, and emotional too. Thank you so much.
Chapter Three
A wave of miasma blew over the teens, forcing them to lift their free arm to protect their eyes from the miasma. Ryuji started to cough and Rin could feel the effects of it starting to ravage him. It was already getting a little harder to breath and the bandage on his thigh had already long been discarded, lost somewhere within the folds of miasma because a loose end had been snagged. The wound wasn't getting any better either. In fact, he could say that it was getting worse. A bulbous sphere loomed over them.
"The heart of the Impure King…!" Ryuji choked out, and Rin started to run back towards his friend, now seriously worried. "Are you okay? Oi, Princes-" Rin nearly braked when he saw the ominous form looming behind Ryuji, then broke into a swift run. He might not get there on time oh please God please let him get there on time please let him defeat the Impure King please let him draw his sword-
"SUGURO!"
"Karura, protect me!" Ryuji ordered.
Understood.
Blazing flames that were almost white hot leapt into the sky, sparks flying and burning the immediate threat. The remains dripped onto Ryuji, burning him and eating through his clothes. Rin finally reached the rooster-headed teen and immediately started looking him over with a critical eye. "Are you okay? What did you do?"
Karura explained how he used a piece of the barrier to keep the Impure King at bay temporarily since if Ryuji fell, the barrier would too and everything would be done for in the simplest terms. Rin sighed in relief. "That's good, right?"
"But…" Ryuji spoke, voice shaking with exhaustion. "I'm not sure whether…I can hold this thing up for another fifteen minutes."
"Why?" Rin inched closer, dropping to his knees so that he was on eye level with Ryuji. Plus, he needed a reprieve from the constant pain.
"If you want pure honesty, fifteen minutes would be a stretch. My body is reaching its limit. Koneko…Shima…my dad and mom…I hope that I at least would buy them enough time to evacuate." His eyes traveled to the blood that dotted the roiling miasma around him, and the pus oozing out of the wound right now. "And you, Okumura. Don't push yourself…too hard."
"Stupid." Rin scolded. "Of course they will be alright!"
He didn't get the chance to say more, for the Impure King reached out and wrapped Rin into it, enfolding Rin with a thick layer of miasma, choking him. Rin clawed at it, feeling something twist and crack. Kuro growled and leapt at it, screaming Rin's name, managing to claw Rin out but instead got entangled within the miasma itself too.
"Kuroooo!" Rin screamed himself hoarse as Kuro fell. "Shiiiiiiiiiiit!"
He yanked at the sword, wanting to cry. "You. Stupid. Bastard!" He considered kicking it, but then decided that it wouldn't be the wisest move. Flames flickered to life on him while he pulled, strained with the effort to just get the damn sword out. He looked into the cauldron of miasma, slowly lowering his sword, his hands shaking. All that…and I still can't get the sword out?!
His doubts were starting to resurface. Daddy…?
"WHY?!" Rin slashed at the miasma before him, growling and kicking, venting his rage and confusion. He leapt at every opening, slashed and stabbed, swung and even bit at a tendril of miasma that passed close to his mouth.
I can't even pull it out!
Ryuji watched the struggling form of his friend as he went higher and higher on the mountain of miasma.
I don't know what to do…
It was time to admit the truth, Ryuji thought. He opened his mouth but could form no sound the first few times.
Daddy?
"Its…" His voice was croaky, hoarse. Like an old man.
Tell me…
"…the end."
What should I do?
"While my barrier still lasts…" Determination to protect to the very end.
Daddy!
"Get away!"
"Go, try to help the people get to shelter! Hurry up, every second is precious! I'll hold it until you're safely out of here!"
Ryuji recoiled when he saw the look on Rin's face. For a moment, his friend truly looked like a demon. But he still plucked up the courage to give the dark-haired boy the final push anyway. "GO!"
Rin bit down on his lip, hard, before speaking. "Uh…What was that…Ahh…right! The Kyoto Tower! I wanna climb the Kyoto Tower!" Rin put one foot on a random miasma bubble in his excitement and immediately regretted it as it sent shots of pain up his leg. "Show me the way tomorrow! You're from around here, right? I hear that it has a public bath, even though it's a tower! That's so special! I wonder if the others would want to come…we could invite them." Rin smiled, seeming to light up everything around him in a warm glow. Ryuji could only stare.
"And so…I need Kyoto to be safe." He lowered his outspread pose a little, barely dodging a miasma tendril. "I need everyone to be safe. Let's win and go back home."
Ryuji couldn't take it anymore. "Why-Why…Why the Kyoto Tower anyway!?"
"Ehh?!"
"I've never even climbed it! I even find it embarrassing! Plus, with that leg of yours, anyone with good sense would forbid you from doing any climbing, walking, running, jumping bouncing kicking whatever else you do with them for at least a week!"
"Really?!"
"Kyoto has heaps of other famous places to see, full of history and culture!"
"I don't really know much about temples, I just wanted to see some fashion spots!"
Ryuji understood. He laughed.
"Su-Suguro san…What happened? Are you okay?"
"Yeah…its okay…whatever…I'll support your fake confidence. We're friends after all…Okumura."
Rin stumbled a few steps forward, wanting to get closer to the source of those words. He needed to know…if they were true…
"I'll trust you."
Rin clenched the sword in his hand even tighter. Damn old man…
Daddy…
He put one hand on the hilt and the other on the scabbard.
Why me?
It could be a futile attempt, he'd tried numerous times before, so why should this time be any different?
Why…
The miasma was closing down on Ryuji. His friend.
Why was I saved?
He yanked on the sword, which still stubbornly refused to give way.
Why.
Blue flames burst to life on his hair.
Was.
His feet dug into the ground at the effort.
I.
Rin let out a wordless scream.
Saved?!
His pupils contracted, flames flickering to full life, the blade sliding out of the scabbard smoothly and soundlessly as if it had been oiled.
His eyelids snapped open. With one growl, he bounded off the ground, fire starting to spread and rage around him. He flew towards the towering miasma above Ryuji, slashing and cutting at everything that stood in his way.
"Okumura-!"
He…!
He drew his sword.
He drew his sword.
He drew his sword.
Ryuji had done the right thing in trusting him, he thought, smiling, finger shaking as it pressed to the ground.
Rin slashed through one whole tower of miasma, burning it and reducing it to nothing but ashes. The temporary face of the Impure King was destroyed, shrieking and screaming all the way, Rin landed, fire swelling and sparking around him. It wasn't just the blue fire burning either. It was all of the hope, determination, doubt, love, and tears , everything that made Okumura Rin Rin. All the miasma on his body were automatically burned away, and Rin nearly dropped to his knees at the sheer shock when it sank in. He drew his sword. He actually drew it.
Ryuji, however, was faring worse. He'd been wrapped in miasma, and barely managed to choke out a cry of help.
"…shuri shuri mamari mari shushuri souka." Shura intoned, jumping out of nowhere and dissipating the miasma that was choking Ryuji.
"Shura!" Rin turned.
"Leave Suguro to me! That monster…" Shura gestured at the ground beneath them. "Is not something a normal person can defeat. We are relying on you, Rin. Didn't you swear to me? You'll prove Shiro was right in his decision to let you live."
Rin dimly remembered his words from before the camping trip, right after the amusement park incident. He'd been so full of fire then, sure that his father's decisions had to be invincible, if he wanted Rin to live, so be it.
"PROVE IT!" Shura ordered.
"Yeah." Rin turned to leave, but then Ryuji's small voice had him stop.
"Please."
I trust you.
Rin smiled, and shot off.
Shura looked after her student, smiling victoriously. "Rin. The only thing you're missing is confidence. Find your own place. Win it. I know you will."
You're Shiro's son, after all.
Rin leapt at the sporangium, but fingers of miasma curled after him, and he was forced to jump away. He managed to decapitate a couple of 'fingers', but nearly froze as he saw the actual power of the Miasma King. He darted, dodged, slashed and cut, protecting his weak spot-his left leg all the while. The fact that he could now be airborne helped too. Shura had taught him well. However, it was still insufficient.
"How do I defeat this stupid thing?" Rin yelped.
Shura sighed. Rin was doing well, well enough to make even Shura proud, but Shura doubted that even if Rin's powers were gifted to her and coupled with her own talents, she couldn't defeat the Impure King either. "…it's not going to be easy."
Ryuji had been suffering in silence, but now the Earth Mother's power had almost burned out his body. Tilting to one side, his finger left the ground and his entire body crashed into the ground instead.
"SUGURO!" Rin screamed. The kekkai would come down, allowing the miasma to spread. People would die. But for now Rin's immediate concern was that his friend wasn't moving, lying on the floor as if he were dead.
The kekkai started to dissolve slowly, the remnants of the fire slowly dying out, the embers turning into ashes. The glow dissipated and Rin was faced with a dull, dark blue land, the enemy's gray and yellow boils roiling, writhing and even chuckling.
Rin leapt high into the air and brought his sword down upon the Impure King with a loud battle cry of, "SHIIIIIIIIT!"
The Impure King seemed to be laughing at him as it swatted at him like a fly. Rin was constantly forced to take to the air to avoid being crushed.
A figure suddenly appeared before him. It looked like the Impure King, except that the Impure King was gray and rotting, while this blazed with life. Literally. Orange flames leapt everywhere on its body. It seemed to be an older demon, and Rin wondered whether living too many years would eventually turn your face into that same identical shape. If that was the case, he didn't want to live until he was a hundred after all.
"You're a pain to look at!" A voice huffed, coming from the unknown figure.
"Huhh?!" Was that an insult? "What are you? A demon?"
"Tsk. Demons, angels, they're just names the humans gave us. Who are you to call me that?" This unknown thing was definitely looking down on Rin. He didn't think this would be the best time to start a fight though. Despite public opinion, Rin could actually consider his own best interests.
Then it looked more closely at Rin. "A human clad in the holy flames?! Now that's interesting…I'm the burning impurity Ucchusama Kongo. The Impure King has been my sworn enemy for a long time. That sword you hold in your hand…it originally belonged to our master. If you want to defeat it…you'll need me to teach you how to control your flames. You are young and inexperienced, and yet you possess the royal flames."
"I don't really understand what you're talking about…but please, do it, Ucchusama-san!" Rin replied earnestly.
"As you wish, my prince." Ucchusama swooped down and landed upon Rin's sword, minimizing itself. Rin had to squint for a moment as the Koumaken flared brightly upon the fusing of orange and blue flames. "Repeat the mantra and sutra I'm about to chant."
"What are you planning to do?" Rin asked, terrified and elated at the same time. Finally.
"We will summon Kashou Zanmai." Ucchusama informed the boy coolly. "This will burn everything in the material world. With this powerful demon flame of yours…you will be able to burn and purify a whole mountain."
"Wait, what?" Rin spluttered. "I'm not going to be your killing machine! A whole mountain? There are lots of people here, you know?"
"Such a trivial matter." Ucchusama didn't understand why Rin would protest. He would give the boy the means to access his power and tap into it far more deeply than he had ever done, and yet he was protesting. "All the people who have entered the Impure King's castle or come into contact with its subordinates, which you may know as miasma, are contaminated. You must purify them completely. Even the smallest seedling left in Assiah will be enough to revive the Impure King. Let's go."
"Wa-Wait!" Rin yelled, but had no choice but to follow Ucchusama across a bridge. A wave of miasma suddenly slammed onto them, sending them toppling over the edge. "I'll try it!"
Daddy…lend me your strength.
"We have no time to waste. We will start now."
Help me purify this place. Please let me do it without hurting anyone. Daddy…?
Rin began to chant, and was surprised to find that the words came naturally to him. After a couple of verses, he didn't even need Ucchusama to lead him anymore.
"Good, good…" Ucchusama was a little surprised at the potential of the young boy, but decided not to say anything. "Now, say the sutra."
"Kashou…zanmai!" Rin roared, unleashing a full wave of flames in every direction, but then instinctively pulled it back. It was getting harder, since the sutra had enhanced his flames and it was struggling to burst out of him. "What is this?" He panted, trying to hold it back.
"Why are you hesitating, stupid?" Ucchusama roared. "Put more power into the flames!"
"But-But if I do-" The flames would burn him out. It would consume him. He would burn down and murder everything, everyone he treasured.
The flames are devouring him.
I have been suppressed since I was born. It moaned. Now I am free!
"STOP!" Rin yelled.
I will smash everything to pieces! That's me! That's the real Okumura Rin!
"Stop-Stop it…" Rin could feel his will growing weaker, and he thrashed even harder.
Rin's flames are warm. A gentle voice, the spring breeze in the midst of the cold winter. Soft hands hugging him even as flames surrounded his body, not one spark hurting her at all.
…I just wanted to say thank you. Ryuji, avoiding eye contact but still sincere. I trust you.
Everyone trusted him. They put their faith in him.
And now…
It was time to live up to that faith.
For a moment there, he saw Shiro, holding out his arms towards Rin. Come, he was saying. Don't be afraid. You trust your daddy, don't you?
Rin closed his eyes and gave in.
It was a beautiful night.
The first surge of blue flames was powerful, burning away the bulk of the Impure King, throwing sparks to the sky as the enemy was cremated. The ones that followed were gentle, caressing. Most of the Exorcist fled at the first sight of blue, but the few that remained stood in wonder, and tentatively, let the fire surround them. The fire wrapped around them, hugging them tenderly, and began to clean every drop of miasma from their body. When they stepped out of the blue glow with bright eyes and a look of wonderment upon their faces, the other Exorcists slowed, and stopped.
The blue flame continued to spread, flickering warmly, softly. People stopped running. Some embraced it. It reminded them of home, family, laughter, joy, trust and peace. It was like stepping under a waterfall, it cleansed you of everything.
Then slowly, slowly, it receded and vanished, the last embers floating upwards into the sky and disappearing.
Some non-Exorcists would later say it was a light from the heavens. They called it the second Blue Night, and the two Blue Nights couldn't have been more different. Some say it reminded them of innocence and love.
One little child's description came the closest though.
"It was like daddy." She said simply, as her father held her in his strong arms.
In the forest, Shiemi smiled.
This flames are warm…
They're Rin's.
And it was dawn.
The long night was over.
"Suguro, are you awake?" Shura asked, shaking the boy slightly as soon as he showed the first signs of returning to consciousness.
"Yeah…what happened?" Ryuji slowly sat up, his head spinning a little, but he felt better.
Shura smiled in pride. "Look."
It was then when Ryuji finally took in everything around him. A lush, green forest, rich, dark brown soil and a big gray boulder which they were currently sitting on. He could see the morning dew on the leaves, and realized that the ground and the air was damp too. It had rained.
But most importantly, there was no sign of miasma anywhere. He didn't feel sick, and that was near impossible since he was pretty sure he had a load of those dumped onto him last night.
Then he saw the object, or rather person of Shura's pride.
Rin was spiraling through the air, flames blazing around him. Ryuji put two and two together and came to the obvious conclusion-Rin had succeeded in controlling his flames and burnt away every last trace of the Impure King.
Even though he was quite sure that he had contributed nothing to it, he felt quite proud of Rin's achievement anyway. Shura should get more bragging rights, since she was Rin's instructor, but the main person they should thank was Rin.
Rin landed awkwardly, back towards them. He sheathed his sword, dispelling the dancing flames which seemed a bit queer to Ryuji.
"Shura-sensei…Suguro…" Rin's first words to them were halting, tense.
Then he turned, biting his lip in an effort to control that big grin spreading over his face. "I…I did it! I controlled my flames!" He resisted the urge to punch the air. "There're still things that need more fine-tuning, but I finally managed to decide what to burn and what not to burn!"
Shura smirked. "Not the first time, kid. Remember the time you burnt all my clothes off except the underwear?"
Whatt?! Ryuji almost choked. He would have expected that of Shima, not Rin!
"But this time I did it on purpose!" Rin exclaimed, hopping closer. "Until now it was always unintentional!"
Ryuji tensed up a little as he spotted the large group of Exorcists heading their way, but relaxed when he saw Konekomaru and Shima at the head of the group, sprinting towards them and calling their names.
"Koneko! Shima!" Ryuji sighed in relief. His weakness in not holding the barrier hadn't harmed them after all. "You're okay!"
Rin's excitement wasn't over yet. "Konekomaru! Shima!" He yelled, wanting to share the news with everyone. "I was finally able to control my power! I didn't burn anything except the Impure King, can you believe it?"
"A highly unusual experience." Shima said.
Shima Senior, Renzo's father, made his way towards Rin. He didn't see him as the Son of Satan, but rather the possessor of the flames that saved them all. "You saved our families, our branch, our temple, our lives, the entire city. We can't thank you enough."
Tears were starting to well in Konekomaru's eyes. "Okumura-kun…Thank you. Really, I, forgive me!"
"Ehh?" Shima didn't know what to do with a crying boy. He was lost with a crying girl, for goodness's sake!
Rin was more concerned than shocked though. "What happened? Did something go wrong? Why are you crying?"
Then Shima spotted Ryuji. "Whoa, you're alive! I thought that we were all dead this time for sure!"
"Sorry for making you worry." Ryuji didn't have further strength to respond.
"Haha…I'm not worried. Don't make it sound like I'm your nagging mom."
"NII-SAN!"
Oh boy. This was not going to end well. Even Shura cringed a little at the furious tone of Yukio's voice.
Rin, however, seemed to be completely oblivious. Maybe he had a deficiency at birth that prevented him from picking up such vibes. "Oh, hey, Yukio! You're okay too!"
"…" Yukio ignored his hyperactive brother. "Shura-san. Why is nii-san here? Who took him out of confinement?"
"Well…he apologized?" Shura was starting to look for possible escape routes.
"Hey, Yukio!" Rin's attempts to get his brother's attention was growing increasingly persistent. Ryuji wished that he would just shut up for once and not get beaten up even more. "I controlled my flames and actually managed to save a lot of people! I bet you're so shocked that your jaw is about to drop to the ground!"
"Okumura-kun…" Konekomaru tugged on Rin's sleeve a little nervously.
"The day when I'm going to surpass you is getting closer!" Rin grinned at the last bit, and Ryuji really wanted to tape his friend's mouth shut for his own wellbeing. Rin thought that everyone was the same as him, innocent and not reading too deep into the meaning of the words. To him, envy and worry were non-existent.
Yukio punched Rin. Hard. Hard enough to knock the breath out of him. Rin staggered, remembering the day his father had slapped him.
"Don't be stupid! Don't you understand your situation?!" Yukio yelled. Maybe he was just stressed from the fight with Toudou. Maybe he just couldn't take his brother's nonchalant attitude any longer.
"I understand." Rin coughed, and drops of blood splattered onto the ground. "I am Satan's son. And I can't run away from this power either. I've always been scared of it…but that's definitely…not…good…"
Ryuji saw it coming before anyone else, and caught Rin as he slumped.
"Rin?!"
"Okumura!"
And barely heard, distant: "Nii-san?"
Daddy…What should I do now? Young, confused.
Idiot. Amused, loving.
Tell me… Puppy dog eyes.
That's something you should decide for yourself. Firm, rock, solid.
Why was I…?
Okumura was stupid.
Not that it was a new fact, but with all that had happened last night, Ryuji could say that it was safe to think that this conclusion would never be challenged. If Rin were ever to protest to that fact, they had countless evidence of it. Many Exorcists had borne witness to Rin's largest act of stupidity yet last night.
"Stupid Rin." Shiemi mumbled, shaking her head at the unconscious boy, sleeping softly on a mattress.
See, even Shiemi agreed.
Really. One big gash in the upper left thigh that had to been stitched back together with eleven stitches, an ankle twisted so badly that if not for his demonic healing he would have to hobble for the rest of his life, a bruise on his left cheek that he wouldn't have gotten if not for his stupid mouth, broken ribs from…somewhere...(Ryuji suspected the Impure King's squeezing), one faded scar on his arm that had sapped some of his demonic healing abilities, and fire overuse. He was lucky that he had just enough flame left to burn away the miasma in his body, though he wasn't able to get rid of them fast enough. Rin had gotten rid of the miasma all right, but that wasn't enough to undo the damage the miasma had done before it was dispelled. Aka the mild fever he was currently running.
Across the room he could hear his mother berating his father, and smiled a little. Idiots, both of them.
Shura entered the room. "Oi, you guys. Just sleep already. You have a few days off, starting from tomorrow on, so make sure you get enough rest. Lights off."
With a flick of her slim wrist, she shut off every light in the room.
"…I can't find my bed!" Shima yelped, just back from the bathroom. They heard a slight commotion, then something which sounded suspiciously like flesh hitting flesh.
"Get your dirty hands off me!" Izumo growled.
"I just tripped!" Shima protested. "Ah, found my lovely little bed~"
"Do you all still have your drips in? Especially Shima-kun." Shiemi asked worriedly, referring to the IVs they had all been forced to wear. To tell the truth, the only ones who really needed it were only Rin and Ryuji, the rest of them would be fine with a good twenty four hours sleep and some food.
Shima giggled, "Aw, Shiemi-san, no need to worry for me. I'm a tough guy after all."
"Let's see how tough you are after I'm done with you." Izumo sounded a warning. "Now go to sleep."
It was surprisingly easy to fall asleep after everything quieted down. After the fresh bath and food, dressed in loose fitting yukatas and resting their sore bodies upon the heavenly soft mattresses and pillows, completed with a warm blanket, it was practically heaven.
Except for the tiny sliver of worry for Rin. He'd passed out and hadn't woken for four hours, during which they'd gotten back to Headquarters, laid out their sleeping quarters and finally tended to their own needs. Shiemi had offered to sponge Rin over but Yukio hadn't let anyone else touch his brother. Ryuji was worried for their teacher too. Somehow, he'd seemed…changed. Even if Rin was really acting idiotically enough to piss one off, no one had expected Yukio to be the one to punch the daylights out of Rin.
Maybe Yukio was beating himself up for it too. He hadn't come into the room since leaving an hour earlier, saying that he had Exorcist business to attend to.
Eventually, with these troubled thoughts accompanying him, Ryuji drifted off into sleep.
"I thought you wanted to go to Kyoto Tower." Shiemi shook Rin a little. "Come on, Rin, we're leaving already! Don't be a sleepyhead!"
"Not gonna work, Shiemi-san." Shima yawned from his bed. They'd just woke up in the morning, and still Rin hadn't woken up during the night. At least the gash on his leg was closing properly and the bruise on his cheek had disappeared. His ankle appeared to be healing around the same pace as the gash. "We've tried offering him free sukiyaki already and if he doesn't wake up at that, nothing will wake him. Unless you kiss him or something."
"Shima-san!" Konekomaru scolded as Shiemi turned tomato red.
"Well, if that will wake Rin, I'll do it!" She squeaked, and before anyone could stop her and tell her that it was just a joke, Shiemi had already bent down and gave Rin a kiss, her hair hanging down and obscuring their faces.
A flying kick knocked Shima off his feet before he could even gasp in shock. He scrambled away from the instigator on his elbows as fast as possible. "I-Izumo-chan!"
Izumo towered above him, obviously mad. "One, you do not trick a girl into giving away her first kiss like that. Secondly, I was sleeping, you jerks!"
"Heh heh…" Izumo was obviously not a morning person.
Shiemi blushed even harder. Rin's cheeks were really soft. She thought. As if Yuki-chan had never hit him at all.
Everyone looked at her and she realized that she had said that out loud.
Shima let out a groan of disappointment. "Just the cheek? Geez…"
Izumo huffed and went back to her bed, folding up the blanket neatly.
"Don't be surprised, Yukio really doesn't hit hard."
"…."
"OKUMURA RIN!" Ryuji roared, leaping over the bed that was between their two beds and skidding to a stop in front of Rin, who was starting to regret making his wakefulness known. Ryuji was lucky that his IV had been taken out of his vein right after he woke up, which was three hours ago, otherwise he would've knocked it flying.
"Knight Rin at your service, Princess Suguro." Rin bowed a little awkwardly, given that he was actually just bowing over the side of his bed. Shiemi shoved him back, starting to become uncharacteristically fierce where the welfare of an injured person was concerned.
"You stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid idiot!" To everyone's surprise, it wasn't Ryuji that started to yell at Rin, but Shiemi instead. She started to sniffle and Izumo had the 'oh, not again' look on her face. "Idiot!" She tossed it at Rin again, who simply looked bewildered. "Rin is a stupid idiot!"
Ryuji didn't know what to say now that Shiemi had beaten him to the punch. "You're repeating yourself, Moriyama."
"Uh, Shiemi, what happened?"
"What happened, you ask." Izumo patted down her blanket, deadly calm. "Other than you running off with a bleeding leg to be a hero again and coming back with a twisted ankle, fever and also over taxed?"
Rin shrugged. "I feel better now. Not a big deal."
Konekomaru felt Rin's forehead. "Better, yes. Completely healthy, no."
"Aw," Rin whined. "I want to go to the Kyoto Tower!"
"Rin can go only after Rin is completely healthy!" Shiemi was adamant about it, and due to the stab of guilt Rin felt seeing the tear tracks on her face, he agreed. "But I can get out of bed, right? There's not much reason for me to overtax myself here anyway."
"The walking might be good for your muscles." Shiemi said decisively. "But I want you back here in twenty minutes!"
"Okay." Rin agreed easily, swinging his legs out of bed and standing, blinking away the dots in his eyes. "I'm going to get a drink."
Yukio walked out from the room he'd been hiding in while eavesdropping on Shura and Mephisto. He didn't and will never trust that polka-dotted abomination with Rin's life. He sighed. He still had an unfinished report to submit and he'd best get working on it now.
He walked past the lounge and made a mistake of looking at it.
Warm, comfortable, inviting chairs with wondrously soft cushions. If he took a short break here, it should be okay, right?
Yeah. Right.
Before he knew it he'd already spent fifteen minutes just lazing around in that chair. He knew that he was turning into his brother, but whenever he thought, well, time to get up, gravity would pull him down once more.
Soft, pattering footsteps sounded from the hallway behind him. Yukio didn't bother to turn his head and look. He was worried for his brother, worried about all the paperwork that would follow, maybe he just deserved this little snatched moment of peace.
There was the clink and clank of coins and a metallic clutter. He didn't need to open his eyes to know that this person was getting a drink from the machine in the corner. Maybe he could get one for himself later, but that would mean getting up.
Another clank as the tiny window on the vending machine snapped open and shut as the person retrieved his or her drink and turned to go back to wherever they came from.
"Oh, Yukio!"
Yukio's eyes snapped open, but other than that he didn't move.
Rin, hale and hearty, standing before him, holding a can of soda. Yukio's eyebrow twitched. He shouldn't be drinking that. It would just make him hyper and then put him to sleep. Again.
"Why are you wearing those clothes? Don't tell me you didn't even go to sleep?" Rin's brow furrowed. If that was the case, this wouldn't be the first time Rin had to drag his exhausted but determined twin to bed.
"…yeah…" Lying was no good anyway, Rin would just see right through it.
"Go sleep in your own bed." Rin popped open his can of soda and Yukio cracked open an eye at the sound. "Jeez, if you want to be slack, just let go all out. Don't do it in a…halfway place like this."
Yukio almost snorted. Halfway place?
Rin softened and took a sip from his soda. "Come on, Yukio. Rest. You're trying to do too much, helping everybody, but you're just going to end up tearing yourself down that way. Go to sleep."
"…mmhm." Just go away, nii-san. I'll just rest my eyes for a little bit and be on my way.
"…"
"…"
Ten seconds passed before the soda kicked in. "Okay," Rin declared, bouncing up. "Do you want nii-san to sing you to sleep or something? Because I'm going to drag you to bath and to bed myself. Come on, get up." Rin laid the soda down and started to yank a boneless Yukio up. Yukio flapped as Rin struggled to heave the boy who was half a head taller than him up. "Nggh! Man, Yukio, you've gotten heavy."
Finally giving up, Rin opted to drag Yukio by his arms down the hallway, his brother's legs dragging on the ground. "To…the bathroom you go!"
Rin had to wipe away some sweat when they finally reached the door of the bathroom. "Come on, Yukio, I'm sure you can clean yourself?"
No response. Rin gave Yukio a slight kick and Yukio went with the momentum, rolling into the bathroom.
Then a wicked smile crossed Rin's face.
Yukio awoke spluttering, the sudden sensation of cold water cascading down his face making his hands jerk towards his pistols. Then he saw Rin's devilish grin, and let his head loll back with a sigh.
"Okay, I'm leaving you in here for ten minutes! Don't drown yourself! And don't run away either!" Rin departed with a cheerful wave, going back up the hall to pick up his soda.
The cold water ran soothingly over all his scrapes and bruises, and Yukio remembered that while he was the one to patch his brother up after fights, Rin was the one who got Yukio out of fights and took care of him later, the one who dealt with all the tears, sniffles, dirt and wounds. Their father had just been watching by the side, worried and yet that little tinge of pride in his brow that his sons knew how to take care of each other.
He must have anticipated that one day when he wouldn't be around to look after them any longer, when they would have to look after each other instead. The strong and the weak. The brash and the careful.
Brother and brother.
When 'daddy' became 'father', they were already on their path towards living without their father, their big oak tree.
Yukio closed his eyes and smiled, despite wanting to cry.
They would always remember their daddy.
But they could start to learn to live in a world without him too.
End
So. It's finished. I decided to have Yukio narrate the conclusion, because he's more likely to come to that conclusion than Rin (he isn't the type to really dwell on past things). Plus, I don't think Rin will ever really stop calling Shiro 'daddy'. :)
Shout out to everyone out there with a dead friend or family member, or just someone really close to you.
You will always remember him/her, and the sadness never really goes away, but you learn to live in a world without him/her.
Thank you for reading.
