Chapter 5
Yukio paced his new room anxiously. He had moved down to the first floor at the other end of the building to give his brother as much space as he could. He hoped that Rin would be okay, because he certainly couldn't stand being this far away from his brother for this long, knowing that there's something wrong with him. He figured it was his own fault for being such a terrible brother, but it still pained him to think that way. He just wanted to protect Rin, to help Rin be happy. Too bad he had failed.
Shiemi and Izumo were keeping Yukio company through his impatience. They knew that Yukio wanted Bon to come running back here and tell Yukio to go back and be with his brother. They also knew that that wouldn't happen. The best they could do was to try to keep the exorcist's mind off of everything and wait for a text about how Rin was doing. If a text came, that is. Bon hadn't said whether or not he'd periodically inform them all about Rin's well-being.
Since there were two of them and two jobs, Shiemi did her best to keep Yukio calm, while Izumo kept her phone in mind. Shiemi didn't have a phone, and Izumo didn't care for Yukio any more than she cared for anyone else. It worked out well.
"That's it. I need to see my brother right now. This is insane! He's clearly not doing okay so why can't I go back and help him! He's my brother! I need to protect him! I need to fix this!" Yukio shouted. He was getting a little hysterical.
"No, Yuki. You can't go see him. Bon said one at a time, and that Rin couldn't trust you yet. It's only been a couple of hours. You need to be patient." Shiemi pleaded, hoping to appeal to Yukio's sense of reason.
"But he's my brother! He's going to trust me more than anyone else! We've lived together for fifteen years! He's only known you guys for four months! How is he supposed to trust anyone other than me?" Yukio screamed.
"Well, you did lie to him." Izumo stated calmly. "You've been training as an exorcist for eight years or so, lying to him for eight years or so. Is that supposed to promote trust?"
"But he's my brother!" Yukio cried
"We know. That also doesn't mean that he will always completely trust you. Siblings may be close, but that doesn't mean that they will act perfectly, according to the other's wishes." Izumo said.
Tears started falling down Yukio's face. "You don't have to be so harsh, Izumo. Yuki is going through a hard time too. It hurts us all to know what Rin's done, but it hurts Yuki more since they're brothers and they've been together for so long and-" Shiemi was cut off.
"Idiot. You weren't listening earlier, were you. You two have been together for quite a long time. If Rin thought that he could trust you enough to tell you, then he would have, barring some other important reason. Tell me, Yukio. Was Rin a violent child? Did he pick fights with the kids that probably bullied your weak little four-eyes self? Did he consider you someone worth protecting from all harm? Because that seems like him to me." Izumo argued, annoyed.
Yukio could only gulp in reply. "It's just what Bon said earlier, isn't it?" Shiemi asked, "He needs someone other than Yuki-chan right now."
Izumo could see the sadness on the faces of the other two and decided that it would be beset to let them deal with it themselves. She couldn't help them. She could only provide third-party facts for them.
"I'm gonna go get some fresh air." Izumo said as she walked out of Yukio's new room.
She decided to explore the dormitory. It's not like she had anything else to do. She just wandered around, taking in the walls, the rooms, the layout, the colours. It seemed to be a pretty standard place, if a little grungy and old. It's not somewhere that she'd ever like to sleep in again, but it did seem liveable, if nothing else. It seemed to be divided into two halves on each floor, with each half being the reverse of the other. Pretty normal for a building meant to house a large number of students in a specific area. It was just hallways with rooms, a bathroom at the end of each hall, and a common room/kitchen area in the middle. Very straightforward.
She was wandering around the upper floors when she heard some banging and shouting.
"-Okumura, why the hell can't you just shut up and listen for once!"
"Because I don't have to! You aren't my mom! You aren't my dad either! He's the great demon king of Gehenna, you have a grudge against him! You're gonna defeat him, remember!"
"Yeah, and so are you! Shut the fuck up and listen for once!"
"Why should I? You don't even know what the fuck you're talking about! You have no authority! Just get the hell out of here!"
She heard a door slam, and some angry footsteps coming down the hall. Bon saw her and just glared.
"What?" he asked.
"Nothing." Izumo replied. Bon stalked away angrily, probably trying to blow off some of that hot air.
Izumo sighed. Since Rin should probably be under constant watch, and since Bon just ran off, she figured she should probably go sit with him. It's not like anyone else was going to do it, and it's not like she had anything better to do. She was just wandering the dormitory, after all. Why did boys have to be so stupid? It shouldn't be that hard to just sit in a room, making sure Rin doesn't grab anything sharp. Even if he did, what's the point in stopping him? They probably couldn't. All they can do is sit there and hope that he decides that saying something is better than acting violently.
But boys think with their fists and their dicks, not their brains. Izumo sighed again. Why couldn't everyone have at least a little bit of common sense? Maybe she could get away with texting Paku on Bon's half of the room while Rin did whatever he wanted to do on his own side. She walked up to the door, knocked softly, then went inside.
It didn't feel like I'd slept long before someone was shaking my shoulder. Really hard. It jostled my injured arm and made it start to throb. Oh yeah. My arm. I bet that's what Bon's mad about. Hah. Serves him right, that jerk. He can't lie to me that easily.
"What the fuck, you asshole!" I shouted.
"That's what I should be asking you! How? Why did you go and rip your arm apart over your sheets? What was the reason behind that?" Bon shouted. I'd made him mad. Heh. That made me smirk a little.
"The same reason as every other time. I didn't think I'd have to hide it this time since you already know. Does it bother you or something? Why should you care in the first place? Can I go back to sleep now. I was having a dream about this gorgeous chick you know." I answered snarkily. Lies about the chick, but whatever.
"You aren't Shima! Of course it bothers me! You're my friend, Okumura! Or at least, I'm trying to be yours!"
"Yeah, right. Since when?"
"Since always, you moron!"
"Shut up! I'm not that stupid, okay? I was smart enough to fool all of you dimwits! And you and Yukio even got fucking scholarships here! Don't call me an idiot!" He was really pissing me off now. Just 'cause I can fight and I don't look all that smart, or care that much about school, does not make me stupid.
"Of course you are! You just did something like this even though you have friends here to help you!" Bon shouted back. He really doesn't know how to listen to me.
I burst into flames. "You are NOT my friends! How could you be after everything you've done! I'm not going to let you all just destroy my feelings like that again! I'm smarter than that! I'm stronger than that!"
Bon's eyes widened, but only for a split second. I guess he's more angry at me than scared of me. "You're really stronger than that? Then prove it! Let us be your friends, let us help you, and stop this mess!"
"WHY THE HELL SHOULD I? AND WHY THE FUCK CAN'T ANYONE EVER LISTEN TO ME?" I was seeing red and blue. Anger and flames. I was vaguely aware that my body might set off a fire alarm if I didn't calm down soon. I heard some crashing as Bon started throwing his textbooks on the floor in frustration.
"We are just trying to help you! Okumura, why the hell can't you just shut up and listen for once!"
"Because I don't have to! You aren't my mom! You aren't my dad either! He's the great demon king of Gehenna, you have a grudge against him! You're gonna defeat him, remember!"
"Yeah, and so are you! Shut the fuck up and listen for once!"
"Why should I? You don't even know what the fuck you're talking about! You have no authority! Just get the hell out of here!"
Bon turned on his foot angrily and walked out the door, slamming it behind him. I guess I'm not even worth a response, and that I'm not worth his time to be around. All I can do is make him angry. Even if he deserves it, I can't be the one to give it to him. I'm shouldn't be scolding him when I'm worse than he is. I can't blame him for not wanting to stick around. I am Satan's son after all. These fucking flames just prove it.
I sighed in frustration. It's not like anyone will ever give a damn, or should give a damn. I could just as easily cut my self into oblivion. I bet that that would feel nice.
I stared across the room and spotted my old dull razor between two textbooks. I hid it in between history and geology. With Bon throwing his books around, I guess it shook the blade loose. I'd better put it back if nothing else.
I padded across the room, and just grabbed the blade without thinking. I felt a small sting as it nicked my palm and fingertips. Those things are sharp on both sides. Oh well, nothing I probably wasn't going to do at some point anyways. No harm done.
I heard a soft knocking on the door. Blade in hand, I froze. Then the door opened. Eyebrows walked in, looking bored. She sat down on Bon's bed and pulled out her phone. Texting someone, I guess.
"Why are you here?" I asked
"Someone's gotta watch you, and with the way Bon stormed out, I would say that he's currently unfit to do so." She glanced up from her phone to look at me and take a brief look at the room. "I guess he wasn't doing a great job anyways, with the way your sheets look."
"I-I guess not." What's up with her? Does she not care at all? Then why is she here?
"You can stop being so nervous. Go put that blade in your hand away before Bon comes back and finds it. Then, you might want to clean yourself up." She said, look back at her phone. It dinged. I guess she's talking to someone.
"What?" I asked. How did she know?
"Blood's dripping off your hand, and there is no wound on your arm. You must be holding something sharp. With how relaxed your hand is, the only thing sharp enough is a blade."
Can she read minds?
"I can't read minds, I'm just a girl. We tend to use our brains, not our fists." Her phone dinged again. Man, she's popular. I don't see why.
"Fine then." I cleaned myself up, threw away the sheets, and tucked the blade back in between the history book and geology book. She probably won't tell Bon about it. She doesn't seem to care enough.
"In case you're wondering, I do care, you know." Eyebrows said. Girls are so creepy.
"What are you talking about? I never said that I thought you didn't."
"Well, you probably think that none of us gives a damn because we betrayed you. That's only your perspective, though. I still treat you the same, so is that really a betrayal?" she asked.
That's a good point. She never cared in the first place, and she doesn't care now. Maybe she can just sit there. At least Eyebrows doesn't piss me off.
"I guess not. But you never really gave a damn about anyone but Paku and yourself in the first place anyways. I mean, why else would you be so calm and cold about this right now, anyways?" I asked. Her phone dinged again as she turned her eyes up towards me. She dropped her phone and stalked across the room, jabbing her finger into my chest.
"I don't show that I give a damn because I too, know what it feels like to be ostracized by peers. Paku is my only friend, the only one that I can let down my guard around. If she's the only one that I appear nice to, the so be it. No one else has given me a reason yet. I guess we aren't so different after all." Eyebrows hissed angrily. "You aren't the only one, you know."
With that, she got off of me and went back to the bed. She picked up her phone and continued her texting.
"What do you mean by that?" I asked. That really freaked me out. Angry girls are fucking scary!
Eyebrpws rolled her eyes. "If I tell you, would you consider listening to me?"
"Sure, I guess. You're the only one who isn't bugging me to stop. That was the one condition I told you all, remember?"
Eyebrows rolled up her sleeve. On the inside of her left arm was a single thin white line. "Like I said, you aren't the only one."