A Third Okumura
This is my story on Blue Exorcist, this is happening in the first season and the Kyoto arc didn't happen. I hope you all enjoy.
Hana was seething with anger at Yukio; allowing Rin to deteriorate to such a terrible state was utterly unforgivable. So, she positioned herself outside his classroom, patiently waiting for him to finish. It didn't take long before Yukio emerged from the room, only to be met with Hana's clenched fist. She swiftly knocked her middle brother to the ground and stood over him, waiting for him to inquire about her anger.
"Yukio Okumura, our father would be utterly ashamed of you," Hana declared loudly and clearly, ensuring that all of his students could hear her. "You seem to have forgotten that you are not only Rin's twin brother but also a son of Satan.
Yukio adjusted his glasses and nonchalantly picked himself up from the ground, seemingly unaffected by the blow to his nose. "It's nice to see you too, Hana. Now, would you mind repeating the reason behind your extreme displeasure?" he asked calmly.
"Rin," she growled at her middle brother while pointing in the direction of their older brother. Hana couldn't help but wonder if Yukio needed to get his eyes checked again when he turned to look at Rin, his eyes widening in surprise.
"What about Rin, Hana?" Yukio asked, his gaze shifting between his older brother and their little sister. Hana was on the verge of unleashing her fury upon Yukio when Rin intervened, perhaps to prevent her from revealing what had been happening recently.
"Hana, stop... just stop... I'm fine," Rin said, turning his head away as he began coughing softly at first, but it soon escalated. Hana immediately sensed that something was seriously wrong. After all, everyone knew that half-demons possessed a much stronger immune system than regular humans. What concerned her was that she had only witnessed Rin in such a state once before.
Rin had never been the type to let someone turn a blind eye if something was amiss, especially when it involved either Yukio or herself. Hana exchanged a worried glance with Yukio, who had finally removed the blindfold he had been wearing, allowing him to see the extent of their brother's condition. Hana took a tentative half-step towards Rin, but he recoiled in fear. It reminded her of the darkest time they had endured in the ten years since she had become a part of their family – when Rin had lost the will to live. It was clear to Hana that Rin had fallen back into that bottomless pit of despair.
"Rin..." Hana said, extending her hand towards her brother, but he averted his gaze, clearly consumed by shame over how far he had fallen again. Yukio placed a comforting hand on her shoulder before shifting his attention to their brother, his expression filled with concern.
"Rin... when was the last time you ate something?" Yukio asked, taking a step closer to his twin. It took a few seconds before Rin responded, but Hana immediately recognized that he was lying. It didn't require a genius to see through his words.
"I ate this morning before you got up, Yukio," Rin replied, his eyes darting around the room, avoiding making eye contact with anyone else.
"Then why weren't there any dishes in the sink this morning? And don't tell me you already did them because when I came downstairs, you were cooking. Besides, why were you up before me? You've never been a morning person," Yukio pressed, taking another step closer to their brother. Rin instinctively took a step back, only to stumble into the desk behind him. Standing behind the desk was Ryuji Suguro, the punk-like teen whom Rin had mentioned before, ready to restrain him.
"Okay, Okumura, you idiot. What have you done this time?" Suguro exclaimed, forcefully guiding the trembling boy into a chair. Unaware that his actions were exacerbating the situation, Suguro's actions caused Rin's expression to go blank, devoid of any emotion, while his eyes dulled.
Hana was about to intervene when Suguro began shaking Rin, who appeared visibly sick and terrified. Reacting swiftly, Hana removed the silver chain bracelet from her left wrist, pulling off the spear charm attached to it. She swiftly moved behind Suguro and pressed the tip of her spear against his back, her silver and green flames dancing lightly over her body and weapon. The other Exwires present gasped in awe and surprise at the sight.
"I suggest you release my oldest brother if you know what's good for you, Senpai," Hana asserted, pressing the tip of her spear against Suguro's back with enough pressure to make her point clear without breaking the skin. She maintained her stance until Suguro raised his hands in surrender.
"Hana, it's all right. You can put your spear away," Yukio reassured her, placing his hand on the desk in front of Rin. Hana let out a sigh and allowed her spear to shrink back down to its charm size before reattaching it to the silver chain on her left wrist. She then picked up Rin's fallen bag from the ground, where it had dropped when Suguro had grabbed his shoulders. Hana needed to check if he had at least been drinking something, but she couldn't find the water bottle she had made for both twins on their last birthday.
"Yukio, it's not here. Okay, everyone, leave the room, but someone be ready outside because Rin might try to run," Hana instructed, taking a seat in the chair next to Rin. She waited until everyone had exited the room before reaching into her bag to retrieve the smelling salts she kept for such situations. Opening the small bottle and scrunching up her nose at the sharp, pungent smell, Hana held it under Rin's nose, bringing him back to his senses. Rin, aware that Hana wasn't the most physically adept, took advantage of the moment, leaping over the desk and attempting to escape through the door. However, Suguro and Yukio promptly pushed him back, preventing his escape.
"Okay, let's try this again, Rin... When was the last time you ate something?" Yukio questioned, guiding their brother back towards his chair where Hana was waiting. She grabbed Rin's hand and pulled him back into his seat, looking up at him with her big, concerned brown eyes.
"I told you I ate this morning before you got up, Yukio. You believe me, right, Hana?" Rin said, his eyes darting around the room once again, indicating his dishonesty to both Hana and Yukio.
"Rin... Look at me. Now tell me the truth: When was the last time you ate something?" Hana asked, firmly grabbing his hand and chin, forcing him to meet her gaze. Rin couldn't hold back any longer and broke down crying, clearly reaching his breaking point.
"Not for six months... I'm so sorry, Hana. I know I should have reached out to you when I stopped eating again, but that was the only way I could make myself pay for what happened with the old man..." Rin confessed, leaning his head onto Hana's shoulder as tears streamed down his face. Hana glanced up at Rin's classmates, noticing their shock. It seemed they were unaware of Rin's lack of self-confidence, which had led to severe eating problems on more than one occasion. Specifically, Rin would deny himself food as a way of punishing himself when he got in trouble or when someone blamed him for something, although it was usually the latter.
"Rin, who told you that it was your fault that Dad died?" Hana asked, wrapping her arms tightly around her brother and glaring at the person responsible. Throughout this exchange, Yukio refused to meet Hana's eyes, fully aware that she would want to hold him accountable for everything he had said or done to Rin. Despite being the youngest, Hana was just as protective of her brothers, if not more so, than Rin himself.
"Yukio, I know he didn't mean it. He had been hurt... But I really did kill the old man. If we hadn't gotten into that fight, he would still be here. Not only that, it's my fault that everything happened on the Blue Night. So many people died because of me..." Rin choked out between harsh coughs, all the while crying into his little sister's shoulder. Hana held him even tighter, tears streaming down her own face as she locked eyes with the individuals who had corrupted her once sweet and loving older brother. However, deep down, Hana wasn't surprised. It was often those who failed to understand that caused the deepest wounds—the ones that never truly heal.
Taking a deep breath, Hana held it for a moment before she began to sing. Her brother's sobs fueled her determination to uplift Rin's spirits and bring him some measure of comfort.
"Mary, did you know that your baby boy
Would one day walk on water?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy
Would save our sons and daughters?
Did you know that your baby boy
Has come to make you new;
This Child that you delivered
Will soon deliver you?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy
Will give sight to a blind man?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy
Would calm a storm with His hand?
Did you know that your baby boy
Has walked where angels trod,
And when you kiss your little baby
You've kissed the face of God?
Mary, did you know?
The blind will see, the deaf will hear,
The dead will live again,
The lame will leap, the dumb will speak
The praises of the Lamb!
Mary, did you know that your baby boy
Is Lord all creation?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy
Will one day rule the nations?
Did you know that your baby boy
Was Heaven's perfect Lamb,
And the sleeping Child you're holding
Is the great, the Great I AM?
Oh, Mary, Mary, did you know?" Hana began singing her brother's favorite hymn, closing her eyes halfway through the song, deliberately avoiding the sight of the people who had caused so much pain to her beloved Rin. By the time Hana finished, Rin had drifted off to sleep, his head resting on her shoulder. His eyes were red and puffy from the tears he had shed. Hana glanced over at Yukio and his students, a fiery anger burning within her. She yearned to unleash her fury upon them, but she held back, mindful of Rin using her shoulder as a pillow.
"I hope you're all satisfied because the wounds you've inflicted will never heal. They run far too deep. You may not have wielded knives or swords, but your words cut deeper than any weapon. But most of all, Yukio, you should be ashamed of how you've treated your own twin brother. You're more of a demon than the man who fathered all three of us," Hana expressed, her voice tinged with sorrow as tears continued to stream down her face. However, before she could wipe them away, someone else reached out to do so.
"You don't need to cry for my sake, bean," Rin said, sitting up straight. He had always prioritized the well-being of Hana and Yukio over his own safety and sanity. Hana shook her head, mustering a brave smile. She stood up, pulling Rin up alongside her, and then bent down to collect both his school bag and his sword.
"We'll see you back at the dorm, Yukio, and you're in for a serious reckoning. I better not catch any of your students involved," Hana declared, leading Rin toward the door. She paused briefly, casting a final glance over her shoulder at her middle brother, though she couldn't consider him as such at that moment. It pained her to realize that in the past six months, Yukio hadn't even noticed that Rin had once again stopped eating and was punishing himself for a crime he didn't commit.
"Come on, Rin. Let's go," Hana said, tightening her grip on her brother's arm. It took them fifteen minutes to reach the abandoned boys' dormitory. Hana wasted no time in tucking Rin into bed, covering him with a pile of warm blankets and surrounding him with their familiars. Kiba, her protective twin, refused to move on and stayed by her side, while Kuro, Rin's familiar, a black cat Sith who had once worked with their father, also remained close.
"Kiba, Kuro, I'm going down to the kitchen to start on dinner. If Rin wakes up, can one of you please come and get me?" Hana requested, giving her brother's head a gentle pat before making her way out of the room and down the stairs. Once in the kitchen, she pulled out her notebook filled with recipes she thought her brothers would enjoy. Surveying the ingredients in the fridge, she realized they hadn't gone grocery shopping in weeks. They had some peppers, chicken that hadn't spoiled yet, a bit of milk and cheese, and pasta in the cupboard. It wasn't a dish she had ever made for her brothers before, as it was one she had picked up during her travels overseas in the past six months. Hana was in the kitchen cooking, unaware that Yukio had brought his entire cram school class along with a beautiful bouquet of light pink roses, white tulips, and violets, all symbolizing an apology in the language of flowers, most likely from Shiemi Moriyama's personal flower garden.
"Hana..." Yukio called out over the sound of her chopping peppers. Hana didn't even look up from her task, still harboring resentment towards Yukio. She was just putting the finishing touches on the dish when Rin tumbled down the stairs, having heard his twin's arrival. Both Yukio and Hana rushed to Rin's side, concerned for his well-being. The dish was forgotten on the counter, and the flowers fell to the floor. Hana pushed Yukio aside to cradle Rin's head in her lap, trying to make him comfortable. But after a few minutes of Rin still not regaining consciousness, worry began to consume her.
"Rin, say something," Hana pleaded, shaking his shoulder. Her concern escalated when she noticed his lips turning blue and his body growing cold, except for his burning forehead. Hana had feared that something like this would happen. Rin had gone far too long without eating or drinking, and now he was seriously ill. Tears welled up in the corners of Hana's eyes as she looked up at Yukio.
"Yukio, he's really sick... again. Look at him, his lips are turning blue. Why didn't you make sure he was eating? Don't you care? Do you have any idea how much I long to have Kiba here with me, in person, instead of just as a Fenrir watching over us?" Hana shouted, finally breaking down. The vast rift between her brothers had always been evident, but she never realized it had reached such a dire state. Unbeknownst to Hana, her emotions ignited, her flames burning a brighter silver than even her hair. Her turmoil mirrored the chaos around her. However, it didn't last long as a howl pierced through the air, snapping Hana back to her senses, if only partially. Everyone turned their attention to the wolf pup standing on the stairs.
"Hana, you can't let yourself be consumed by your emotions. Right now, you need to take care of Rin. I don't trust Yukio or the others behind him," Kiba spoke, his voice strong and soothing despite his small size. Hana quickly wiped her eyes before gathering Rin in her arms and carrying him back upstairs to his room. She refused to leave his side all night, fearing that if she looked away, Rin would vanish just like Kiba. Though she lacked extensive medical knowledge, she understood the urgency of getting something into Rin's system. Hana found Yukio's stash of herbs that could alleviate some of Rin's pain and settle his stomach.
Hana vividly remembered the change in Rin's behavior before he started middle school. He became less prone to fights and more involved in cooking. He would often return home battered and bloody, sometimes multiple times a week. Initially, she brought her concerns to their father, who dismissed them as normal puberty struggles. However, when Rin began coming home brutally beaten every day, Hana took a stand and dragged Rin to their father, demanding he take her seriously. It turned out that a group of bullies had been targeting Rin for months on his way home from school. Rin had lost the will to live and was waiting for them to finish him off, unwilling to bring shame to their family through suicide. Their father intervened, promptly reporting the situation to the school principal. Rin confided in Hana that the isolation he experienced from his peers had made it increasingly difficult for him. His depression took a dark turn, severely affecting his eating habits. A week after that incident, Hana returned home from school to find Rin lying in a pool of his own blood, having attempted to take his own life by cutting his wrists.