Le Chapter Two

"Alright, I'll humor you... If you can manage to keep your flames hidden, I'll give you a chance to once again live a partly normal life. But…" The man chuckled. "…if you so much as let one little spark out we'll execute you were you stand. Do you understand, Rin Okumura?"

Rin crawled out of bed with a yawn. Not bothering to get dressed, he shuffled into the kitchen. Still half asleep, the half demon called out softly: "Good morning Yukio I'll take pancakes…thank you…" He rubbed his droopy eyes, smile disappearing as he remembered the previous day.

"Yukio's on a trip… I was alone… But now there's a rebellious person here!" Rin ran to the living room and just as he thought, Ryuji was sprawled on the couch, clad in a pair of plaid boxers. He was snoring loudly and one of his hands was shoved in the back of his underwear.

"Well…he sure sleeps like a real man." Rin chuckled to himself, watching the sleeping Ryuji. As he turned around to go back to the kitchen he spotted something out of the corner of his eye. Rin gulped, creeping closer to the couch and leaning forward to get a better view.

It was a scar, long, thick, and surrounded by a number of smaller scars, cuts, and bruises. Rin blinked, completely shocked by Ryuji's torn up back. As he took a step back he noticed how rough and chiseled Ryuji's body really was. The man was a fitness freak, judging by the six-pack, muscular arms, and even a little on his legs. And were those…pierced nipples?

Rin pulled his shirt up and poked his flat stomach. He had a little muscle...nothing serious like Ryuji. Walking back to the kitchen with a sigh, he pulled a muffin tin out of the sink and began to hunt for mix. "Screw pancakes, I'm in a muffin mood. Hopefully I have mix left… Aha!" After his pan went in the oven, he set two cups on the counter and started the coffee.

From inside the living room, Ryuji rolled off the couch with a thud. He slowly got up, cussing in-between grunts. "G'morning," he said bluntly. "I hope you're making breakfast for me too. I can't cook at all."

Rin laughed. "Sorry, but this is all for me."

"What, are you serious? Selfish pig…"

"Hey, I was only kidding!"

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"You made this?"

While Rin cleaned up the dishes, Ryuji continued to stuff his face.

"Yeah, I'm self-taught too." Rin grinned, pausing his cleaning to wave a dirty wooden spoon. "I could teach you if you want, it's a useful skill and girls love guys who can cook. Or so I've been told by luckier people…" Rin shook his head and sighed. "They're all lies, I say. Girl's like looks more than mad skills. I could be the best cook in the world and not a single girl would turn their head."

"Feels that way sometimes," Ryuji said in-between bites.

"Yeah," Rin laughed. "Don't it?"

"You mean doesn't'."

"No, I mean don't."

"It's doesn't."

"Whatever, demonic grammar Nazi."

"Just Google it and you'll see."

"Yeah…"

Ryuji wiped his mouth and got up from the table. He placed his plate on the counter and walked away, scratching his stomach. "I'm got some stuff to look over, so don't bother me. And don't be worried if you don't see me for several hours."

Rin grabbed the plate and shoved it back into Ryuji's grip. "Oh no you don't! You're playing the nice cool guy but I know you're just trying to skip cleanup time. At least do your own, you delinquent."

"No way, that's a woman's job!" Ryuji growled, pushing the plate back to Rin. "I refuse to do such a thing."

"Do I look like a woman to you!" yelled Rin, returning the plate back to Ryuji. "If you want to stay in a clean apartment you'll help out."

Ryuji looked down at the plate and up at Rin. "F-Fine, I'll humor you, Okumura." He snatched the sponge from Rin's hand and began to scrub the plate. Bubbles floated up as his intense scrubbing grew faster. "I hope you're happy!" He narrowed his eyes. "I wouldn't do this for just anyone. I'm doing this because you're special—specially annoying!"

-Crack!-

"Ryuji," groaned Rin. "You didn't have to break it."

"Doesn't matter, it was an ugly plate anyway!" Ryuji's angry expression softened. "It's just one stupid plate. Look, I'll just clean up the rest so don't whine."

Rin nodded dumbly. What a delinquent, he thought. It's kind of cool…but not.

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Ryuji sighed, eyes closing briefly. Yukio's brother was getting on his nerves. The apartment was trashed, but despite the fact that his inner neat freak was crying out, he refused to do Rin's work. Ryuji had slept on the couch without a blanket or pillow, and he cleaned up after breakfast…so in his mind he owed nothing to Rin.

Slipping on his shoes and opening the front door quietly, Ryuji crept through, trying not to wake Rin—who was napping on the floor. The exorcist needed alone time, and would do anything to get it.

"Okay, I just need to clear my head," he told himself, shoving his hands in his pockets. "A walk should help me think. Yeah, that sounds amazing."

"Suguro," Yukio said in a business-like manner. "I have something to ask you."

"Yeah, what is it?" asked Ryuji, rubbing his sore temples.

"I've mentioned my brother haven't I? I've been assigned to a case and I don't want him to worry so I'm telling him I'm going on vacation with some friends. I can't miss this assignment but it doesn't feel right to leave him alone there… He's easy prey for any demons lurking around."

"So your brother attracts demons too? What's his secret?" There was a dangerous look in Ryuji's eyes.

"He's…" Yukio shook his head. "Suguro, could you stay with him until I get back?" As Ryuji scowled, Yukio carefully added: "No, it will not just be playing babysitter. As I said he attracts demons so he needs someone to protect him. It could get dangerous."

"I like dangerous," Ryuji said with a grin. "But you've left something out, haven't you? Why does he attract demons, Yukio?"

"He's…a half-demon himself."

"If he's a halfie then he'd have some power wouldn't he? He could easily protect himself without me."

"No, he couldn't," Yukio snapped. "He doesn't understand his power and he can't control it. He's helpless, Suguro. So please…"

There was a long silence.

"I…don't see why not. I mean, ever since the little incident they've been hesitant to give me any assignments." Ryuji laughed. "Honestly I'm bored here, so maybe it'll be good for me."

"Yeah, he kind of reminds me of you."

A/N: Sorry for not updating. My laptop broke and I just recently bought a new one. Also, my writing skills are horribly rusty. The next chapter should be a lot better, and Konekomaru and Renzou might pop up. Thanks for reading! Also, you'll find out what the 'incident' is later.