Wooo! Next chapter! Remember, this is an EVENTUAL Okumuracest fic. It'll take a while for them to get together. BUT, in the meantime, there shall be fluff! Fluffy fluff! Fluff for all! XD Don't worry, it won't be TOO fluffy though... I think.

Disclaimer: Blah blah blah, I own nada.


Rin lay on his favorite spot on the roof of the dorm, alone for once. The cool breeze of the early evening felt good, and the view was awesome. But try as he might, he couldn't appreciate any of that right now. The sky was a pale grey, and the lights form below of various buildings gave it almost a glowing effect. But even that couldn't shake him out of his reverie.

For the second time that day, Rin was contemplating how people were treating him like a… demon. Well, he was one, but did they really need to treat him like a beast? Like some uncontrollable monster? It hurt. It hurt a lot.

It hurt to see the friends he'd trusted, cared for, counted on, fought beside, laughed with, and confided in have fear in their eyes when looking at him.

It hurt to see them ready to attack him at a moment's notice.

It hurt to see them in the classroom, laughing, talking and laughing together, but completely ignoring him.

It hurt to see them think that he would actually attack them and an innocent child.

It hurt that they didn't believe him.

But what hurt the most was that Yukio, his own brother, didn't believe him either. When he had looked at Rin, there wasn't exactly fear in his eyes. Fear, Rin could have handled. Fear stemmed from that which was understood; he could live with it if the only reason people were scared of him was because they didn't understand him. They didn't know him, but he could fix that with some time. But no, what was reflected in Yukio's eyes wasn't fear. It was something much worse.

Anger. Disappointment. Doubt. Resentment.

Rin had seen all those in Yukio's eyes, rolled into one. There had been so many emotions swirling in those eyes, it was a wonder how the younger twin had managed to hold them all in until that moment.

How long has Yukio been feeling like that? How long has he bottled up all those feelings? From the start? From when Father Fujimoto started training him? All this time? Was everything a lie then? Rin shook his head, trying to shake the cynical thoughts out. I should have noticed. I should have realized how hard it was for him. But why didn't he say anything until now? What made him so angry that he snapped like that?

Strangely, Rin wasn't made at Yukio. How could he blame him? Yukio had done everything he could to help him. Rin couldn't begrudge him the chance to get everything off his chest, when he'd kept it hidden like that for so long. Yukio was his little brother; he should be taking care of him, not the other way around! He could never hate his brother, even if his little brother hated him.

But that didn't make it hurt any less. It didn't make the pain in his chest any easier to bear.

If his own little brother wouldn't believe in him, then who would?


Yukio walked into the cram school classroom the next day, wondering if he'd see his brother. Rin hadn't come home last night. Yukio had done his best to wait for him, but eventually passed out into a restless sleep that had done more harm than good. He'd been so sure that Rin would come home in the middle of the night or something, but in the morning Rin's bed was still empty. Yukio'd had no choice but to go to school alone, and then work. He'd been distracted the whole day though, so he hadn't been of much use; only thinking about his brother.

Yukio's eyes widened when he did, in fact, see Rin in his usual seat. Rin was staring out the window, with his head propped up by his fist and elbow. Yukio paused in front of him, trying to get his attention, but Rin pointedly ignored him.

Yukio stood there with his arms crossed even after the clock chimed, signaling for class to start. Everyone was in their seats, waiting for class to begin, but still Yukio stood there, and still Rin ignored him. Finally, Yukio couldn't take it anymore and he spoke angrily.

"You can't ignore me forever, nii-san."

Finally, Rin looked up. His face was blank, as if he were trying really hard to control his emotions, something Rin wasn't good at. His voice was polite, as a student addressing his teacher should be, but at the same time nonchalant. It really pissed Yukio off.

"Yes, Okumura-sensei?" Yukio's eyes widened, taken aback. Rin had never called him that before; he'd always said "Yukio!" or "Four-eyes!" It pissed him off even more.

"Don't just act like nothing happened! Where did you go last night?"

Rin looked away again and said "Class has started, Okumura-sensei. Shouldn't you get to teaching?" Yukio glared at Rin. If it weren't for their audience, he would be yelling right now. But he knew Rin was right, much as he hated admitting it to himself, so he turned around with a loud step and started class.

Rin stared out the window the entire time. Every time Yukio tried to catch his eye so they could communicate, there Rin was, obviously not looking in Yukio's direction on purpose.

At the end of class, the atmosphere was even tenser than before, if possible. Yukio's anger had only grown each time he had glanced at Rin, only to be ignored. He had always secretly hated being ignored, but maybe his brother had known that. His brother had always, always made sure to make time for him, had always paid attention to him no matter what.

Meanwhile, all the students were more than a little uncomfortable. They could swear that there was a black aura around Yukio. It had grown throughout the class period, which had been the single worst one yet, according to each and every student in the class. There had even been a pop quiz, and it had been brutal, even for one of the smartest students, Suguro.

As the clock chimed the new hour, the students all but ran out of the classroom. Rin bolted out of his seat too, until Yukio spoke firmly. "Okumura, I need to see you after class."

Rin froze. After a second he turned slowly, and walked with stiff shoulders hesitantly to Yukio's desk. When he spoke, his voice was cold.

"Yes, sensei, you asked to see me?" When Rin finally looked his brother in the eyes they were just as cold; instead of a calm, deep ocean, they were a stormy sky.

Yukio frowned, and addressed his brother. "What happened last night? Why didn't you come home?" Even though there were only two of them now, the tension seemed to grow even thicker in the room.

"Funny, it doesn't really feel like my home at all anymore." Rin snapped.

Yukio glared. "I'm sorry, nii-san. I shouldn't have taken out my anger out on you, and yelled at you. But what did you want me to do? You lost control. You can't deny that." Even though he was apologizing, it was a bit too harsh for Rin to take it seriously.

Rin glared right back. "Did you even think to ask me about what happened? Or did you just automatically accept what they told you?" Rin clenched his fists in anger.

Yukio sighed and said wearily "Fine, nii-san. What happened?"

Rin grit his teeth. "It doesn't even matter anymore. You obviously don't believe me, so why bother?" With that, Rin stalked out of the classroom, leaving a shocked and pissed off Yukio standing there alone.


Not knowing where else to go, Rin went back to his spot on the roof. With no Kuro again, Rin was completely alone with his thoughts once more. Which was not a good thing. One of the reasons Rin didn't think too hard about most things was that his mind tended to go to dark places when he did.

Right now, the place Rin's mind went to was uncertainty. All Rin could think about was the what-ifs. What if he had lost control on that mission? What if he lost control on the next one? What if the Vatican decides he's too much of a liability? What if Yukio truly stops believing in him? What if his friends never talked to him again? What if he really does become a monster? What if they were all right about him?

Because Rin could feel it. Every time he unsheathed that sword and let his flames out, he was one step closer to that edge. The edge where if he fell over, he would truly stop being human. He'd be a demon in mind and body.

Rin shook his head. He really needed to think about something else. Worrying wasn't going to get him anywhere. Still, the heavy feeling in the pit of his stomach didn't lessen any.

Rin really didn't want to spend another night out here alone in the cold, so he'd have to find someplace else to stay the night. Maybe longer. But where? Were there anyplace left in the dorms where Suguro, Shima, and Konekomaru lived? He didn't have any money for a motel, nor was he allowed to leave the campus alone. Not that Rin really cared about following the rules, but they'd probably be able to detect him leaving, and he'd be in a lot more trouble with everyone than was worth it. If any of his friends were talking to him, he'd ask to stay with them, but he wasn't on speaking terms with them, so thus he couldn't ask. Besides, he didn't want to be more of a burden than he already was.

Rin was just contemplating if he could somehow get a tent if he could somehow camp out on campus, when he heard footsteps. Without turning around, he knew who it was. They were twins, after all.

"What do you want?" Rin practically hissed. He watched as Yukio's shadow grew closer, until their shadows blended into one.

"Stop acting like a child. Come home." Yukio wasn't surprised at all to find his brother here; Rin had always liked high places. When he had realized Rin wasn't going to come back to their dorm again tonight, he'd decided to go looking. It had been the third place he'd looked.

"That place isn't my home." Rin said through gritted teeth. The only reason he'd endured the decrepit, barren, lonely, creepy building was because he had Yukio. But now he wasn't sure if he could count that. A home was a place filled with warmth, memories, and people that loved you. That place had none of those things.

"You're going to be living there as long as you're at this school; thus it's your home. Deal with it, and come home." Yukio's irritation grew more evident with every word.

"No." Rin crossed his arms like a child.

"Come on, nii-san, I don't have all day." Yukio snapped.

"No." Rin stuck his lower lip out slightly in a pout.

Yukio groaned. When Rin was like this, nothing you said made any difference. Rin would do whatever he was determined to do. There had been several times like this when they were children. The only one capable of talking Rin out of anything was Yukio, and even then he hadn't been able to stop Rin from doing everything he set his mind to. Rin was stubborn to the point of stupidity. But this time, he wasn't about to let his twin have his way.

Yukio stepped closer to Rin, and before the young demon knew it, he'd unbuttoned his shirt and was unwinding Rin's tail from its confines.

"What the hell?" Rin yelled. It was cold out, for Christ's sake! And Yukio was lifting up his shirt! What if someone just happened to look up here that wasn't supposed to, and they saw his tail? Rin began to struggle, but Yukio succeeded in freeing Rin's tail. And so he squeezed it…

"AAAAHHHH!" Rin screamed, and went limp. Yukio took advantage of his brother's temporary lack of motor skills, and picked him up and swung him over his shoulders like a sack of potatoes.

"WHAT THE HELL?" Rin yelled again, louder this time. He started flailing around, kicking his legs and punching Yukio's back. Even his tail got in on the action, and slapped Yukio in various places harshly. Yukio found it very irritating, so he pulled Rin's tail again. Rin went limp for a few seconds, like last time.

"Aaahhh! Don't do that!" Rin yelled, despite how he was blushing lightly. Pulling on his tail gave him a whole different feeling in his stomach, not to mention pain, and it wasn't a good thing.

"Are you going to be a good boy and come home?" Yukio smirked, just a little. It was rare to see his "big" brother like this, all flustered, and he found it highly amusing.]

"No." Rin huffed and crossed his arms again.

"Then I'm not letting you go." Yukio smiled. He carried Rin like that all the way to their room; whenever Rin would start struggling again, he'd tug on the black, fur tufted tail. Surprisingly, it was really soft, like a cat's.

Eventually Rin gave up after yelling at Yukio to put him down about twenty times. He just thanked god that there was no one around for them to see this. But even so, he found himself blushing deeply.

When they finally reached their room, Rin was very grateful; he wasn't grateful when Yukio held him until they were in front of his bed and the brunette threw him down roughly.

"OOF!" Rin grunted as he landed on his ass. He rubbed it for a second before looking up at Yukio, who was glaring at him intently. He gulped, then mentally slapped himself. Yukio was the one in the wrong, not him! He shouldn't be scared of his own little brother!

Rin glared right back, holding his own, and a staring contest of epic proportions began. Blue-green and cobalt eyes locked, and they held it for what seemed like forever. The twins had often done this when they'd had an argument as children. They did it to decide who was wrong and who was right; it was like having a telepathic conversation. Surprisingly, Rin was usually the winner of these staring contests (although, he usually was the one in the wrong). This one was no different.

Yukio looked away first and pinched the bridge of his nose. It made him look older, Rin thought briefly as he smirked triumphantly.

"Please explain the situation to me then, nii-san, how you ended up appearing to attack Shiemi, that little boy, and the rest of your classmates."

"I didn't attack them! I was in control! There were so many demons I let my flames run free. They were everywhere, in the bushes, the trees, and surrounding us! So when I finally got the chance to look around, I saw Shiemi running towards something I couldn't see. I followed her. She was trying to protect a little boy, and then this giant demon that totally blended in with the surroundings came after her. She didn't see it, so I killed it with my flames. Shiemi passed out then, and I went over there to help her, but Suguro, Shima, and Konekomaru stopped me. I guess they thought that with my flames all around me, I had finally snapped and was going to attack them. But I didn't! I kept any flames that got too close to them cool! I made sure no one got burned by the flames! They just misunderstood! I was fine!" Rin took a much needed breath.

Yukio thought about what Rin just said. It did seem plausible… According to what he'd been told, Rin hadn't seemed out of control or any different than he normally was, when some reinforcements had finally arrived. It anything, he'd been quiet, they'd said. And he saw nothing but the truth in his brother's eyes when he looked into the deep blue orbs. When he looked at them again, they shone brightly, as if they were determined to get him to believe them. Yukio decided to trust those eyes.

"All right. I believe you. It does seem to coincide with the report I read on the incident."

Rin smiled, showing off his long canines. "Aaand…" Rin sang. Yukio wasn't getting off the hook that easily.

Yukio gritted his teeth, but said it. "I'm sorry for ever doubting you, nii-san. You were right and I was wrong." It killed him to say it, but he knew he needed to. He had really hurt his brother's feelings, more than he'd initially thought, and if they were ever going to get past this, he needed to apologize. He needed Rin to forgive him. He should have realized Rin wouldn't go after Shiemi or an innocent child, no matter what.

Rin grinned from ear to ear. It was music to his pointed ears. Yukio never admitted he was wrong (because he never was wrong). He stood up, still grinning like an idiot, and headed for the door.

Yukio jumped out of his chair as if it had burned him and blocked Rin's path. "You know you can't escape, right? You're staying here, whether you like it or not."

"Yeah, yeah, chill out. I was going to the bathroom. I don't have anywhere else to go anyway." Yukio smiled, knowing it was the truth, and stepped aside.

When Rin got back he was immediately bowled over by a black blur.

"Rin! It's Rin! I missed you, Rin! You didn't come back! Why didn't you come back? I was just out looking for you! But I came back when I sensed your presence here!" Kuro mewled happily and began licking Rin's face as he greeted his master. Rin laughed and let Kuro do as he pleased. He'd missed the little fur ball. "So where did Rin go?"

"I went to the roof, and just stayed there all night." Rin answered the black cat, the sudden sound of Rin answering the unspoken question startling Yukio out of his work at his desk.

Yukio turned around from his chair at his desk and stared at Rin questioningly. Rin remembered that he was the only one that could understand Kuro. To everyone else, it was just a meowing like that of any other cat.

"Kuro asked me where I went last night when I was gone, and I told him." Yukio nodded and went back to grading papers. It has always been a little strange to him when Rin started talking to himself, although he was really talking to his cat. It had taken him a while to get used to hearing Rin start talking out of nowhere.

For the first time since Rin had left for that mission, Yukio relaxed. Whenever Rin was gone, or when he was on a mission himself, he just couldn't relax. He just felt too uneasy, wondering what his brother was up to and what trouble he could be causing. They had spent so much time together when they were younger, not to mention that they were twins, that he just didn't feel comfortable leaving his brother alone.

They'd never gone longer than a week without seeing each other.

It had been strange to be in the dorm room alone last night. He hadn't slept well, to say the least, with all of the tossing and turning. And now, it felt good to have his brother back- not that he showed it.

Rin smiled to himself. He had sensed how tense his brother had been in the classroom, on the roof, and even just a few minutes ago. But now, now that Rin had made it clear he was staying, Yukio was relaxing and he could tell. It made him happy to know that his little brother still needed him, even if just a little.

"So, what's for dinner?" Rin said as he rubbed Kuro's tummy. He was getting hungry, the last time he hadn't eaten since… well, the last time he'd been with Yukio, so… lunch, yesterday. Over twenty four hours. Wow, that long?

Yukio froze. He'd completely forgotten! He had planned to try and make dinner as an apology. And he had nothing prepared, nor any idea of what to make!

"Uh, Yukio? Does that mean you want me to make something?" Yukio snapped out of his thoughts when he heard his brother's voice, and found the young half-demon's face inches from his. When did that happen? Yukio's eyes widened before he answered.

"Uh, no. Actually, I was going to try to cook tonight."His brother's incredulous, shocked, and suspicious expression did not help matters. It actually pissed him off a little.

Yukio didn't like the thought of his twin brother being so much better than him at something, so he'd attempted to learn shortly after Rin's cooking talent had blossomed. Needless to say, he was not like his brother in that aspect at all. There had been many burned, destroyed, and just plain inedible dishes that Yukio had ended up with. No matter how many pointers his brother had given him, Yukio just didn't have the talent for cooking. Rin did, and he was as good as chef now.

"Ummm… I don't know about that… Are you sure?" Rin said hesitantly. Yukio cooking was NOT a good idea if you valued your stomach and keeping food in it. Rest assured that if you ate Yukio's food it WOULD come back up.

"Yes. Just stay here and do your homework while I cook dinner." Yukio smiled and walked out of the room.

Once Yukio was safely out of earshot Rin groaned loudly. There was no way he was getting out of this one. Why did Yukio decide to do this all of a sudden? Wasn't being yelled at and being forced to sleep outside enough of a punishment?

"What's wrong, Rin? Why do you look so scared?" Kuro asked, sensing Rin's distress and seeing the sweat on his brow. He was still on top of Rin, who had flopped on his bed.

"Oh, nothing, Kuro. You're just going to wish that you were a normal cat tonight that DID eat cat food."


Rin looked at the clock on his phone for what must have been the thousandth time. Yukio had been in the kitchen for almost an hour. He fidgeted in his seat at his desk, restless. What was taking Yukio so long? What kind of meal could he be preparing? Would it be edible?

Memories of Yukio attempting to cook when they were kids were brought back with almost perfect clarity. Rin could almost taste the burnt tempura on his tongue, and shuddered. He could only hope that Yukio's cooking had improved with time, somehow. He opened his phone again, just one more time. Two minutes had passed.

Gaaah! I can't take this anymore! Rin stood up, knocking down Kuro from his lap (who huffed and went to curl up on Rin's bed), and ran downstairs to the kitchen. He peeked over the corner that lead into the vast room, not wanting Yukio to see him or else he'd freak, and what he saw almost made his jaw drop.

The kitchen… The kitchen… His kitchen… was a complete and utter mess. There was a mysterious brown liquid on the floor. There was gunk on the counters. There were bowls strewn all over, some tipped to fall on the floor, with various colors of sludge. It looked like a tornado had passed through.

Yukio seemed oblivious to the chaos. He stood with his back to Rin, chopping something, by the sound of it. Rin took a cautious step further into the room and saw that Yukio was covered in the same brown gunk as the counters that must be… sauce? He took one look at Yukio and burst out laughing. It was just so hilarious to see the oh so serious Yukio trying to cook and ending up covered in food. Rin couldn't remember the last time he had seen Yukio concentrating so much; everything seemed to come to him so naturally. His face was so serious…

Yukio stiffened when he heard Rin laughing. "Nii-san, I told you not to come down here." Yukio turned and glared at him. Rin was practically rolling on the floor with laughter now. Apparently, Yukio didn't know he had sauce on his cheek and his shirt. Rin took another look and started howling with laughter.

"May I ask what's so funny?" Yukio asked, resisting the urge to blush for some reason and punch his brother at the same time.

"S-sa-sauce… hahahaha… on… haha… y-your… f-fa-face… hahahahahaha!" Rin barely managed to choke out between fits of laughter. Seeing the normally stoic and serious Yukio with sauce on his cheek was just too much. It reminded him of when they were little kids. Yukio had been a bit of a messy eater, and being the big brother, Rin had to clean him up.

Yukio immediately brought his hand to his face to wipe off the offending substance, but didn't realize he has sauce on his fingers as well. He only succeeded in adding more to the mess. Rin cackled even louder, and tears streamed down his face.

"Nii-san!" Yukio blushed despite how hard he tried, annoyed at his brother's antics. Why the hell was he laughing at him like that? "Will you stop laughing for one second to tell me what you are doing here?"

It took almost ten minutes, but Rin finally managed to catch his breath and stand up. He wiped the tears from his eyes as he went over to Yukio and leaned in real close, until their noses were almost touching. Confused, Yukio didn't move. To his surprise, Rin leaned in even closer, and licked his cheek, lapping up all the sauce.

"Nii-san! What the hell are you doing?" Yukio yelled, and he couldn't stop the blush from rising to his cheeks. It was a very intimate action, one that Rin had done once or twice before when they were just kids, but now that they were older… it was embarrassing.

"Cleaning you up. Hmm, needs more spices, it's kinda bland." Rin commented, as if this were something perfectly normal.

"But… But did you have to lick me?" Yukio asked, a little dumbfounded.

"I dunno… You just looked so cute with sauce all over your cheek it reminded me of when you were kids. So I cleaned you up how I used to." Rin shrugged.

Yukio thought he felt his cheeks grow hotter. It didn't help that Rin saw, and was now chuckling. Only his brother would think that way, to lick his own chin. "Well, we aren't children anymore."

"So? You're still my little brother. Age doesn't change anything." Rin pouted defiantly. He didn't see what the problem was. What's the big deal? It was just the two of them. He had done it when they were younger, and Yukio hadn't batted an eyelash then. Although, he couldn't remember how long ago… "Are you seriously mad about it?"

"Well, no… It's just… odd for a teenager to lick his own twin. And embarrassing. I'm hardly your cute little brother anymore." Yukio pushed his glassed up higher on his noise, his cheeks still a little pink.

"Whatever. Like I care what people think. You'll ALWAYS be my cute little brother to me." Rin smirked before finally taking a step back. He hadn't realized until he could feel the heat from Yukio's cheeks that he was still invading Yukio's personal space. "So, just out of curiosity, what were you trying to make?"

"…Sukiyaki." Yukio replied, avoiding Rin's eyes, embarrassed some more. He instead inspected the counters. Wow, did I really make that big a mess? Ugh.

"Are you serious? This," Rin pointed to the horribly maimed pieces of meat on the cutting board, "is supposed to be sukiyaki?" Much to Yukio's annoyance, Rin burst out laughing again. He held his stomach, it hurt so much from laughing so hard.

"Oh, shut up." Yukio ground out, trying to force the pinkness he knew was on his cheeks away, all to no avail. "Just let me finish this up so we can eat already." Yukio went to the counter and picked up the knife again while Rin wiped his tears for the second time. He watched the brunette's pathetic attempts to get it in the right shape for about a minute before he could stand it no longer.

"Gah! I can't watch this anymore! MOVE!" Rin shouted as he pushed Yukio out of the way and grabbed the knife out of the exorcist's hands. Yukio frowned, but watched Rin as he cut up the meat and prepared the rest of the dinner, analyzing his every move. Rin didn't fail to notice, and decided to take advantage of the situation.

"Here, let me show you." Rin walked Yukio through every movement, through every slice the knife made and every ingredient that went into the sauce Rin was re-making. He expertly cut the meat in just the right way, and mixed the ingredients just so. He even went so far as to put the knife in Yukio's hands and guide him through it, by putting his hands over the brunette's; just like how a guy usually teaches a girl something, but not like Rin mentioned that… much.

By the end of the lesson, Yukio could chop the meat correctly and both twins were sporting wide smiles. It had been so long since they'd just hung out together. Since they'd felt the warmth and comfort of having their other half right beside them, with no worries. And they'd never cooked together like this before. It was fun, and they both vowed to do it again sometime soon.

Well, Rin said "You know, Yukio," as they sat down at the table to eat the dinner they'd made together, "now that I've taught you a few things, I expect you to help me out more often in the kitchen…and I think you should call me sensei." Rin smirked, knowing Yukio wouldn't refuse.

Yukio sighed and adjusted his glasses. "Thanks so much, nii-san… or should I say, Okumura sensei." He said it sarcastically, but a small smile formed on his lips. Rin chuckled and dug in. The meal was good, and the cold dorm was filled with laughter. It hadn't been so for a long time, nor would it continue to be.

Rin knew that, but he allowed himself to just enjoy the moment while it lasted.


Ummm... So how was it? Was it okay? Did it live up to your expectations? Ugh, I'm so nervous now... You guys totally spoiled me with the number of reviews I received for the last chapter! I was surprised by how many I got! Thanks! So I'll be sad if I don't get around the same amount... So, should I keep writing this? I have a few chapters already prewritten, I just need to type them up, but should I keep writing in my notebook? If this does continue to the end that I envisioned, it'll probably be a pretty long fic, but if there's not enought love, I can end it early. Let me know if I should finish this! Let me know what you think! Please review! Please please please review! I would really appreciate it! I would love you forever and give you a million thank yous. And who doesn't want my love,lol?