Chapter Six

~ooOoo~

Rin gently placed the porcelain cat mask on his face; he kept it in place using one hand while Shura tied the black silk cords. When she finished he looked at himself in the mirror critically. He wore a black yukata that was casually loose, revealing his marble white skin. Over the yukata, the young clan leader wore a long kimono that dragged on the floor and was left open. It was a beautiful azure silk with silver embroidery of leaping flames.

Rin blinked, it almost looked like he was being devoured by some sort of demonic fire. Or maybe it was a demon emerging from the flames? The blue eyed boy gazed at his reflection and had to admit the Japanese cat mask gave him an inhuman look that only added to his ethereal image. The stark white material glowed purely in the dimly lit room and dark blue and black designs tainted the design. His own azure orbs also seem to shine from the black rimmed eyes and his startling blue-black hair was ruffled around his head like some sort of wild mane.

The raven smiled in appreciation as he nodded to the red head waiting for him to finish his self scrutiny. Their goal had been to look as other worldly as possible for the first meeting with the Suguro to inspire some sort of amazement others constantly connected with his clan. Shura had finally decided to follow clan procedure and wear her black mask, even though she wore it saucily on the side of her head as if she was going to some sort a festival instead of an important yakuza meeting. Her kimono was as typical of the fiery red head, very short and off the shoulder in deep red and orange.

Rin followed her as they walked to the car where Izumo and Igor waited for them and while they walked he slid Kurikara into his silver obi. He was glad that since he was going to the meeting with the top three members in the clan below the rank of the "boss" he would not be actually be required to bring his guards. But he felt it was better this way since it was a peace meeting and not some sort of way to show off his power. The other two were already sitting in the front of the vehicle with their cat masks properly covering their faces, the raven settled beside in the back with the grumpy red head.

The clan leader smiled in amusement. She was extremely upset that he had been putting off their training sessions and important business to hang out with the Kyoto kids, even though most of his time had been spent with Yukio working on homework and trying to keep Shima focused. But the pinket had been determined to have fun and when he had found out that Rin had never played any video games or read any manga, the golden eyed teen had made it his mission to get him introduced him to the wonderful things he had been missing. The simple memory of their visits to the mall and hours spent playing COD and Assassins Creed had a small grin slipping over the usually stoic leader. The best part of all the wasted hours was when they would goad Yukio to play with them and how surprisingly competitive the older boy would get when he finally caved to their combined whining (Shima) and invitations. The raven could not remember an hour where he had been so happy in the last two years than the past week spending time with the Kyoto kids. Even Bon had slightly warmed up to him recently and had even apologized for the misunderstanding earlier in the week.

Rin felt his grin widen and his face flush slightly as he thought of all time spent with the one specific member of the group. Yukio and him had gotten closer and he found that they got along with all their differences. They would talk about their dreams and would joke about how random they seemed when they considered the background they were raised in; although they never talked about why they wanted to pursue these careers. To the raven it seemed that both of their reasons were too personal to be discussed between potential enemies.

Azure orbs darkened in sadness and the grin faded into a pained frown. Rin knew that brilliant green eyed man would be at the meeting, he was too important to the Kyoto clans working to not be included. But he was not happy about it. The friendship they had started to build was delicate and learning the truth could be either the final piece of information to make or break out. He sighed softly as he ran his hand down his face to block out the sight of the dark night outside the car window.

With a small jolt the raven realized in shock that his hand was trembling; the motion was so slight that even he hadn't noticed it until it had been lightly shaking against his skin. The young clan leader bit his lip and slid the long kimono sleeves over his hand and berated himself for his almost amateur lack of control. Did he really fear the older boy's reaction so much?

The answer was yes, he did. He wanted so badly for them to forgive him afterwards and be even more open with him. He wanted the truth to finally tear down the walls separating their friendship from developing further. He wanted Yukio to confide everything in him. Watching the older teen's green eyes sparkle like emeralds and face shine with absolute glee when talking about all the medical advancements and current studies before gracing him the most beautiful and gentle smile.

These rare occurrences always made him feel warm and happy and the azure eyed boy had often found himself trying to find topics that would incite the same reactions and fervour from the usually masked teen. They had also become more intimate with each other. Slight touches and familiar gestures seemed only natural between the two of them now. The older boy would casually sweep his hair back when it fell into his eyes and the raven would hang onto the brunet's shoulders without a second thought to see what he was reading or working on. The young clan leader had hardly even realized how much happiness these small interactions brought him and how much more he craved them now.

This was a startling realization for the almost indifferent boy who had sworn off caring for anybody again. He scoffed at his own stupidity for not realizing sooner that his manipulative feelings for the Suguro brats were turning into real affection. And Yukio...He didn't know how to describe his feelings for the older boy. Definitely, admiration and just not the physical type but also his intelligence and experience and this new desire and craving for more between them. It wasn't often that Rin met boys close to his own age just as able to efficiently fight and kill, but what else? There were other feelings that he couldn't yet put into words. With a silent growl he shook his head and mentally looked away those thoughts. It was enough that he actually cared about them as friends he didn't have to try to figure out developing feelings for one specific member but rather lock the foreign emotions away and ignore them for the rest of his life.

The car stopped and Rin quietly met Shura's eyes. She grinned, "This is gonna be fun."

The older woman laughed hysterically as she jumped through her open door. He followed at a more hesitant and reluctant pace. This was a crucial moment not only for the clan but for himself; with a deep sigh he followed the giggling red head while being shadowed by his more responsible second-in-commands. Izumo and Igor faces were hidden by their masks and only their eyes hinted at their tense mood although they walked with confidence and ease the raven could see the tell tale signs of stress in their tense muscles and twitching fingers. The indigo haired wore a pale rose kimono with white embroidery gracing the gentle ends with flowing petals. Pearls decorated her silky hair that was intricately arranged in braids. Igor wore his usual completely black suit with the sleeves rolled up to reveal his tattoo covered forearms. The azure eyed boy couldn't help but smile at the striking image they would convey.

They were led to a private dining room by a smiling waitress. Rin had chosen a traditional Japanese restaurant located on neutral grounds so the Suguro leader wouldn't be suspicious about his motives. He also wanted to go somewhere they would be able to blend in; it wasn't very often groups of people walked around in kimonos and yukatas.

The raven was glad to see the grinning man in the room when they entered; the other clan leader wore clothing similar to some type of monk garments in black and gold, looking completely at ease. On the chubby man's left Bon sat with Yukio and to his right sat an older man with dark hair who looked like a more serious and older version of the silly pink haired Shima he knew. Standing directly behind the Kyoto boss were two young men who also looked similar to the older pink haired boy only one had blond hair and the other dark brown. They both held staffs but were unable to contain their shock as the Okumura clan arrived.

Rin quietly settled directly across from Sugura-sama while Shura and Izumo settled on either side of him. Igor easily settled into a position that mirrored the elder Shima siblings. The azure eyed boy watched as the more experienced members contained their emotions and with sadistic amusement as the blond streaked teen was left gazing at the assembled group in astonishment.

"Well, you are not exactly what I would have expected but that almost seems right." The older clan leader had a silly grin stretched across his face and yet his dark eyes were dark with suspicion and critical scrutiny.

"So tiny! I would think you were a woman if your chest wasn't so flat..." Suguro-sama laughed joyfully while the raven cocked his head to study the man closely.

Was he trying to get a rise out of him? Rin was use to comments like that and when the man finally saw his face his comment would be even more justified. The azure eyed boy smiled and easily reached to lightly touch the silken cords keeping his mask in place.

"I agree Suguro-sama. I am quite small but I'm sure everybody seems that way to you." Rin took a moment to watch the approving smile the older man gave him. It would seem the other enjoyed friendly opposition.

The raven took the brief moment to glance at Yukio. The green eyed boy seemed to be studying him discretely but hadn't yet realized who he was yet. The younger teen was suddenly glad that his voice had been husky due to disuse; he had a couple seconds to prepare himself for whatever reaction the young genus had when learning the truth.

Taking a deep breath he continued. "I have yet to introduce myself. I am Okumura..." He easily pulled the cord keeping the delicate mask in place and spoke in a smooth purr. "...Rin. I am sure you've heard about me from your son."

The mask clattered lightly on the table as Bon jumped from his chain. The boy looked confused and upset and the raven smiled at him sadly. This sort of reaction was expected from the aggressive teen and the betrayal and hatred in his dark brown eyes were easily read by the young clan leader. It took all of his self discipline to look away from the hatred filled eyes of the blond streaked teen to gaze into emerald green eyes. They were dark and the mouth turned down in a slight frown. These were the only sign that the brunet had reacted to the news at all but they were enough to cause a gradual dread to seep into his skin. In that moment Rin knew the other boy hated him. He was disgusted with himself for caring. Deception was a part of their lives, why should the older boy be so upset?

"Hoho, that is quite unexpected. One of my son's friends being the leader of a powerful rival clan! Quite the surprise! I do have to wonder how one as young as you became so powerful." There was a question in the older clan leader's voice that the azure eyed boy didn't mind answering.

Rin waited for Bon to finally settle back in his seat before answering. "Is is not obvious? Do my eyes not speak enough truth?"

The raven grinned slyly and focused on Suguro-sama. "I am the rightful heir. Son of the former leader and age doesn't matter when you have the right blood and have been trained since birth to kill."

The Kyoto clan leader's smile was gone and he focused intently on Rin. "To kill? Surely you exaggerate? The yakuza teach their kids to fight and defend themselves but killing is a different matter entirely."

"Is it really? I wouldn't know. Killing comes naturally when you're bred for it. Emotions are useless baggage and the blade should always be covered in blood of your enemies. It is what I have been taught to do easily without regret. One fatal mistake you have made with your own son is not introducing him to our world earlier by letting him have a chance to see the light fade from an enemy's eyes because he ended their worthless life to spare his own precious one."

The raven focused on making his smirk as cruel on possible and not glancing at the other teens in the room.

"He is too inexperienced to take over and you must know the positive effect of this type of debauched training. Did Yukio-san not turn out perfectly?"

The man flinched at the pointed comment, before he could speak to defend himself Rin continued in a soft drawl."Buuut, that isn't what we are here to discuss. Do you accept the proposal Suguro-sama?"

The bald man was silent for a moment before he gave a polite grin, easily sliding on his own mask. "Hoho, that's true. Well we are willing to accept with a few conditions, of course."

"Of course." The raven agreed easily and encouraged the man to continue with a cold half smile.

"First we have the right to call for your help at any moment at any time. This will also apply to you. Secondly, important information will be shared between our clans. We don't like secrets. And lastly we would require that you at least inform your clan of your true identity. This trouble with Mephisto will cause an unbalance among your ranks that we don't really appreciate." Suguro-sama looked calm but slightly uneasy as he spoke.

Rin leaned back with a blank expression. He could easily concede to all the points but the last one irked him. Who were they to tell him how to run his clan or what they thought was necessary for his subordinates to know? Even if he had been considering it himself, the fact that another yakuza leader would require something of this magnitude was insulting.

"Your last request is rather bold, no? May I ask who thought that one up?" The raven didn't even try to conceal the annoyance in his voice and let his wide cat like eyes narrow in distaste.

"Ah you said yourself that I taught him well." Suguro-sama's tone had become smug but his eyes were wary as he studied the younger clan leader.

The raven leaned back with a small chuckle. "I really would have not expected any less from that one." He glanced at Yukio to gauge the other teen's reactions to the conversation; the other boy's face was completely blank and was too far away to clearly study his eyes. Rin chose to ignore the hollow feeling in his chest and smiled lazily.

"The Okumura clan concedes to all the requirements. The entire clan will be informed tomorrow. Is that good enough for all of you?"

All the small signs of tension visibly eased from the plump man's body and he pat his round tummy jolly, "Excellent! Now that we're allies I think it's time to enquire what you need my clan's assistance for."

"To kill." Rin stated this simply, as if answering a simple question in class before elaborating. "You're going to help me kill Mephisto. He has been causing me a bit of trouble as you know."

The raven sighed forlornly and ran a slightly trembling hand through his ruffled hair. His control was starting to slip; simply thinking of the clown-like bastard caused him to literally burn with hatred that had been smouldering for ten years only to be rekindled at his newest revelation.

Shura shifted hesitantly her hand resting on her katana hilt. After meeting her lazy eyes, a small nod was all the red head needed to be assured of his stability. Rin lightly ran his hand over his face and uncurled the one tightly clenched tightly in a fist as he continued in a cold tone.

"I was willing to make a compromise but a recent discovery led me to deciding that only his own painful death and the total annihilation of his clan will make up for his past and current transgressions."

There was no room for arguments in his cruel timbre and flashing eyes. "We can of course discuss the details latter after some information is gathered on the target." The raven stood slowly. "I believe it's time to call this meeting to an end."

"Hmm, already? You all haven't even eaten anything yet." The question was asked with slight interest by the older man as he ate the last of the food on his plate.

"We may be friends but the food was set before we came and there would have been a lot of chances to slip something in."

Rin kept his tone light and inclined his head towards the members of his clan. They rose silently and headed towards the door ahead of him. The raven watched with curiosity as Suguro-sama also stood, quickly followed by his men.

"I agree. I'll be going back to Kyoto tomorrow so could you make some plans with my one of my seconds, Yukio-san? Before I leave, I would like to have at least an idea of what will be going on during my absence. Also, any of the five already here is at your disposal."

The azure eyed boy nodded slowly and turned to wave his group away. "Wait in the car." They left only after receiving a raised brow from the young clan leader because of their hesitation to follow the order. The older Suguro left with a jolly laugh followed by everyone except the young green eyed second. The round man talked loudly and jollily about his trip to Tokyo while Bon looked irritated and slightly confused.

When the door finally closed the raven gazed at the other teen with hooded eyes. The mood in the room was slightly tense. Their friendship had only begun to develop and he didn't want to make the strained relationship worse. Yukio wouldn't even look at him; his brows were furrowed and mouth pinched. If Rin were to take a guess about how the other teen was feeling he would say distaste and confusion. After letting out a deep he decided it was probably best to be honest. Isn't that what Shiro always advised? Complete trust and honesty is what kept relationships strong.

The older boy had finally looked at him when he had sighed and taking the opportunity the young clan leader held his gaze. Looking deep into the green eyes he asked the first thing that came to his mind because it was what he wanted to know most about the older boy.

"Why do you want to become a doctor."

It was almost comic, the way Yukio looked after hearing the question. At first his had body jolted at the quick shock before the young genius shook his head lightly in amused disbelief. Pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose the brunet faintly smiled.

"I don't think that's what my master had in mind when he left me here. We should stick to business only."

Rin frowned, "I want to know, please."

He hesitated for a second; if he voiced his thoughts he would be vulnerable to whatever the other could say to hurt him. The raven suddenly wished he had never met the other boy. The affection and desire to be important to the green eyed teen made him realize these emotions were something he didn't need if he wanted to stay on the path of being a man with no weaknesses.

"I had begun to think of us as...friends. You may ask me any question you want after." The azure eyed boy added the last part in an almost timid and childish voice. It was almost an offer to give the other teen some sort of motivation to answer his enquiry.

Yukio gazed at him blankly and the raven actually fidgeted from his nerves. In his mind his pride screamed in agony at how natural all the pathetic actions and questions were so natural to him when around the brunet.

The green eyed boy only smiled briefly in response. Not the polite one he gave to everyone no matter his true mood but the real one that lit up his already handsome face. So rare was this expression on the other that Rin didn't even care how weak he must have looked earlier when he had a chance to bask in the glow given off by that single expression. The warmth that flowed through him was familiar but so unexpected he almost froze in astonishment. His bright blue orbs snapped into focus when he finally heard Yukio's soft voice.

"I've been taught to fight and kill since I was seven. Then I was taught how to manipulate others and how to act around them to gain their trust. I was surrounded by death and I thought of doctors as some sort of heroes. They give life, provide care and comfort. I took from everyone to suit myself, I killed to benefit my master and I was so used to it that I was beyond caring about the lives I took. I always tried to be merciful and quick but it's not the same. I want to save others. I want my life to benefit others in a positive fashion."

The brunet's cheeks were slightly flushed in embarrassment as he lightly scratched his cheek after his little speech. Rin felt his heart burst with a strong emotion he couldn't place. His voice had risen with his passion and his emerald eyes had shined with barely repressed excitement. Everything about him was perfect, from his ambitions to the reasons he was driven to reach his goals. The raven hardly ever thought about others and never about the ones he planned or had already killed. Violent deaths were a natural occurrence during his entire life. He had always been told to think of his own safety and to preserve his own life before he was to even think of someone else. It was truly astonishing to see how selfless the Yukio was. It almost made Rin ashamed for his own cold and brutal thinking.

"What about you, Rin? Why do you want to cook?"

The raven froze at the question. Being honest was so hard for him; lying was always so much safer. But Yukio had been completely truthful with him so he should be the same. With a hesitant smile he opened his mouth.

BakemonoShoujo gets all the thanks.

Edited-08/21/14