Written: August 6, 2013, 2 AM

Disclaimer: I do not own Ao no Exorcist.

A/N: Last chapter! It's finally done! I wanna tell you that's this is nothing more than several oneshots pieced together in an effort to make a multi-chapter. But I hope you like it as I did when I'm thinking of and writing this fanfic. And this is the first fanfiction I finished writing, so I'm very happy and proud of it.

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Just Some Memories Of... [A Brother]

Chapter Sixteen

— Setting: Present Time —

Rin lay on his back. Before he knew it, he was back in his time.

Something cracked on his hand. He looked at the said hand and watched as the thing he had been holding turned into million tiny pieces.

"Oh, the time-mirror!" exclaimed an all-too familiar voice of his older brother Mephisto Pheles. The older demon stared at the broken glass briefly before snapping his fingers. A vacuum cleaner appeared and sucked all the glass. "It broke right after you used it. I suppose that thing was only for your use, or you're just a careless user."

"It's useless anyway," Rin said as he sat up. "What's bound to happen will happen. There's no point of knowing things beforehand if you can't change it, right?"

Mephisto blinked. "I suppose. Anyway..." He snapped his fingers in front of Rin's eyes. Rin gave him a puzzled look. "No matter how much I try to erase your memories, I can't seem to do it. Even though I once managed to put your demon heart into a holy sword."

"Never mind," Rin said. "It was a stupid wish, anyway."

Mephisto grinned. "Looks like someone finally recovered."

"I can't stay mourning forever." The younger demon settled back on the long couch he had been lying on. "Though I don't understand why you have to fool the younger me into thinking that I — the older, sinister Okumura Rin — killed the younger Okumura Yukio."

"I just like the feel of your confusion," Mephisto said. "You were a half-human that time, after all."

"So you fed on my half-human negative energies..." Rin pouted. "How cruel of you, Samael."

"It was a good chance. I wouldn't waste it."

"I have two more things I want to know. But one was already answered..." Rin said slowly as he remembered his encounter with Klaud. He no longer have his doubts about the story he heard from that Aegin person.

"So just one more thing," he continued. "Do you know of a little blind girl named Okumura Yuri?"

Mephisto's smile disappeared. "Yes. But that child is dead."

"Is that so?" Rin said. For a moment, sadness was apparent on his demon features. "Anyway, I have to go..."

"Before you leave, I have something to ask you," Mephisto said.

Rin looked at his brother in attention. "What is it?"

"Bon!"

"Just what is it again?" the blonde-and-black-haired boy asked the whining boy. "Do you need that book of mantras again?"

"No!" Shima said. He looked around at the corridor of the True Cross Academy with narrowed eyes.

"Do I need to substitute for you in one of your classes again?" asked Bon. "Look, we both have our share of classes to teach and—"

"It's not that!" Shima cut in. He walked closer to the other man and whispered. "I think Izumo-chan is cheating on me."

Bon's shoulders slumped. "Is that all? I don't think—"

"No!" Shima said again. "Last night, I woke up to find her talking to someone over the phone. It sounded like a guy!"

"That might be just your imagi—"

"I'm not imagining things! It was a guy, I'm sure! And do you know what I overheard?" Shima said. "They were talking about taking care of a child! Whose child is that? Izumo-chan and I aren't even married yet nor do we have children!"

"You might have misheard. Kamiki doesn't seem to be the kind of—"

"So I want you to come with me," Shima said, grabbing Bon's wrist and pulling the older man. "I listened more to their conversation last night. I heard that they're going to meet in the Office of the Principal to take care of the kid. I just need to confirm my suspicions."

"Wait—!"

[...]

Bon grumbled. He and Shima were behind a giant potted plant, watching the door of the Office of the Principal.

"Shh!" Shima sounded, pressing a finger to his own lips. "Anytime now, she's coming so keep quiet!"

"Ugh." Bon rolled his eyes.

Just a few seconds later, Izumo appeared and knocked at the door. Someone opened it for her and she entered.

Bon shook his head. "She might just be going to talk to Sir Ph— hey!"

Shima suddenly ran to the door and opened it.

"I can't believe it, Izumo-chan! You're really cheating on me!"

Bon followed the pink-haired boy and watched as Izumo turned a surprised face at them. Another man... A demon was in the room with her, as well as a child he was passing to her arms.

"Herrow (Hello)," the demon said flatly, sucking a lollipop. He scratched the back of his head covered in green-and-yellow hair as he turned to Izumo. "I didn' kno' you have othersh coming with you, woman."

"I didn't know they were following me!" Izumo defended.

"You were cheating on me with t-that... that demon Amaimon?!" Shima exclaimed.

Izumo instantly blushed. "What? NO!"

Amaimon pulled the lollipop from his mouth and surprisingly threw it to the side. "So they're not supposed to be here, huh?" he said, walking in front of Izumo and shielding her and the one that she was carrying from the sight of the two other boys. "They're not supposed to know about that child, am I right?"

Suddenly, the ground began to shake. Shima almost went off balance if Bon had not steadied him. A swarm of Coal Tar and goblins appeared around Amaimon as readied himself to attack.

Someone hit him at the back of his head with the hilt of a sword.

"Just calm down, will yah?" said a familiar red-haired as she watched the disturbing cloud of dark-colored demons.

"But Brother said..." Amaimon started reasoning to the barely-clothed woman. But she just raised a finger to silence him.

"Don't worry, I'll talk to Mephisto about this," the woman said. "For now, go back to Gehenna and report this to your father."

"Don't go telling me what to do, human," Amaimon said. But he snapped his fingers and the cloud of demons dispersed. And then he disappeared in a puff of green smoke.

"What...?" Shima said, pointing at the older woman in the room. "Kirigakure-sensei?"

"What's it?" she replied in an irritated tone.

"We thought you were dead," Bon said. "Sir Pheles said that you died on a mission..."

"So that was the story he told yah guys, huh? That bastard, doing just anything he wants," Shura said, returning her sword on its place on her belt. She surprisingly didn't put it back to her chest, thus earning a surprised look from Shima and Bon. She noticed and began explaining. "It doesn't hurt to carry one rather than going through a lengthier summoning of a sword. Save a few seconds, especially with that Demon King of Earth just now. Anyway..." She pointed a finger at them. "What are you guys doing here? Do you know what situation you guys just put yourselves in? Huh?!"

"But I was just checking if Izumo-chan is cheating on me!" Shima defended. "I overheard her talking to a guy last night so—"

"What? That was just Amaimon!" Izumo blurted out while blushing. "He was telling me that he'll be taking Yu—"

Suddenly, she stopped as she realized what she was about to say. She turned a bit away from the boys, trying to hide the child on her arms.

"Who's that?" Shima asked. He moved forward and Izumo tried to hide the kid again.

"Kirigakure-sensei, help me out here, will you?!" the younger girl called to the older.

But the other woman just shrugged. "It would be better if we let them know. They're going to pry anyway." She turned to the boys. "I suppose yah guys will tell no one of this. If yah do, I have no choice but to really..." She tapped the sword at her side.

Both men gulped. "Yes, ma'am."

"So Shima," Shura continued. "What do you think of that child?"

"What...?" Shima began, baffled by the question. He looked at the face of the sleeping little boy. "He looks like—"

A puff of dark blue smoke interrupted them. A dark aura fiercer than Amaimon's spread throughout the room.

"What is it this time?!" Bon asked, shielding his eyes as miasma began to disperse.

"Sorry about that," said that familiar voice. For some reason, the evil aura disappeared when they heard that voice. A demon in dark overcoat and heavy boots stood at the heart of the dispersing smoke, checking the golden pocketwatch on one hand. "Samael asked me earlier to come here at this particular hour. May I ask where he is?"

"O-Okumura?" Bon and Shima called in surprise.

"Good, yah're just on time," Shura said. She pointed a thumb toward Izumo with a smile. "Mephisto said that yah have take care of that brat over there."

Rin looked at Izumo. "Did Samael really say that I have to take care of Kamiki Izumo?"

"Not me," Izumo said with a smile, handing the child to Rin. "Him. You have to take care of him."

Rin looked at the sleeping boy he was holding. There were already-healing burnt marks on his pale skin, but there was no mistaking that brown hair and moles.

"B-But I thought..." Rin began.

"Yeah. Mephisto told me about that as well," Shura said. "Okumura Yuri, the blind girl, indeed died two years ago. True Cross had found out that Mephisto was keeping her and they began experimenting on her. But she died while the Doctors were trying to introduce a demon into her body. So that dam'ed older brother of yers made it look like I died and sent me to take care of the kid in a small part of Gehenna."

"He's in Gehenna all along?"

"Yeah. But I guess the kid's young body couldn't take the harsh environment of Gehenna even though there was less demonic air in there than the other parts. So yer Father and Mephisto made Amaimon and Izumo take care of him here in Assiah too. A few months in Gehenna and a few months in Assiah."

"Father knew about this too?"

"Mephisto undoubtedly told him."

"Wait, what are you guys talking about?" Shima said. He turned to Shura. "I thought you were going to tell Bon and me everything!"

"On the second thought, you probably should try to understand by yourselves," Shura said. "Earlier, yah were trying to say who this child looks like, right?"

"Yeah," Shima said. "He looks like—"

"Okumura Yukio," Bon cut in.

"Oh come on! Why are you guys always cutting me off?" Shima complained.

But Bon ignored him. "Does he really only look like Okumura Yukio? Or is he?"

Shura smiled. "Ye'r sharp."

"What? What?" Shima said. "I still don't understand!"

"Okumura Yukio... Okumura Yuri is a human who has the ability to be reincarnated," Rin said, still staring at the boy on his arms. The child began to stir in his sleep and open those green-blue eyes. "I already killed him twice, and yet..."

The boy began to squirm from Rin's touch. But Rin held him tighter, just like he did that time when the rain poured both from the sky and his eyes — just like that afternoon when he killed his family for the second time.

The child watched the man holding him close. The touch was all too familiar. And as tears from those inhuman albeit beautiful blue eyes fell on his cheeks, the younger boy thought he could see the sky crying above them as blue flames burned all around.

"I'm sorry!"

Rin stopped crying in surprise. The child called Yukio reached up his hands to touch Rin's face.

"I'm sorry!" Yukio said happily, pulling Rin's cheeks in what looked like an attempt to pull those lips into a smile. "I'm sorry so don't be sad!"

...

The blood had scattered everywhere. He could not stop the flow of the crimson liquid. And no matter how much he wished, everything just wasn't a nightmare.

'No... NO!'

He heard himself speak. The body on his arms felt heavy and was losing warmth fast.

And then a cough.

'N-Niisan...'

The world seemed to stop. Rin felt his heart skip as he heard that voice. He looked at the face of the boy he was holding.

'Yukio! Get a grip! I'll take you to the hospital and—'

But he felt Yukio shake his head slowly. 'Y-You don't have to...' A fit of coughing stopped him from speaking.

The older boy held his twin tighter. 'Don't talk. Niisan will—'

Yukio reached for the hand that supported him. 'I guess that y-you weren't just fooling a-around that time...' he said. 'When you said t-that you will... and...'

Blood continued to pour from the wound on his chest. Rin watched the blood mix with the rain, feeling that Yukio's warmth was slipping away fast. If he didn't hurry, Yukio will truly—

'...but even if y-you ask it from me, I just can't do that...'

'What...' Rin said. 'What are you talking about?'

Yukio laughed slightly, like what Rin asked was some kind of joke. He began to reach up to touch Rin's face. 'I'm sorry...'

'What are you saying sorry for?' Rin asked. The raindrops fell on his cheeks like teardrops. But they were too warm to be just teardrops. 'I-I don't understand, Yukio!'

'I'm sorry,... so please, d-don't...'

...

"Don't be sad, okay?" Yukio said with a smile. "I'm here, after all."

'So that's what he was trying to say...' Rin thought. 'I told him I'd kill him, so he knew what would happen all along. He just didn't believe it because I... I'm supposedly his older brother...'

Yukio looked up at him sadly, pulling his hands to himself. "Is it not enough?"

Rin buried his face on Yukio's shoulder and shook his head. "It's okay. I won't be sad anymore."

"Good," the child said, patting what he could reach of Rin's back. He pulled back from the hug to look at those somehow familiar unearthly blue eyes of the older man. "I'm Okumura Yukio. What's your name?"

The demon smiled.

"I'm Okumura Rin. And I'll be the Niisan who'll be taking care of you."

— Setting: Thirteen Years Later —

It had already been a long time, the woman knew. She had mourned for the boy who could never go back to her. So, six years ago, she decided to live away from her precious garden and make another in the middle of the city where her family owned a piece of land. She planted a new garden there and soon made her own flower shop for common people and a pharmacy to exorcists.

She had been living alone with Kuro, a particular two-tailed cat, since then. She would still accept missions from the organization, and sometimes give lectures to prospective exorcists about medicinal and demon plants. Kuro assisted her in her missions. And most of the time, the Cat Sith would guard the southern gate as it did a several years ago.

The woman realized she had become the Doctor and Tamer that she had dreamed of.

But that afternoon, she decided to just stay in her home there in the city. She was still tired from the mission she had gone to the other day. So she made sure that day will be as simple as selling some flowers to lovers or medicine to demon-slayers.

The woman stretched her arms, popping her shoulders. Her sales were good. An influential man dropped by her store and bought a bunch of flowers for his lady. After a good deal, she thought of closing up her store and retire for the night.

The sliding door of the front of her door opened.

"Good evening," called a familiar voice.

The woman turned around and froze.

"I'm sorry. I know it's getting late, but someone told me that this is a good exorcist store," said that boy with blue-green eyes behind those thick glasses. "I wonder if you have some silver and holy water bullets."

"Yu...?" she barely whispered. She couldn't believe it. After more than twenty years, that same teenaged boy stood in front of her. He still had that pale skin, those moles, that smile... though this time, that smile didn't look forced but somehow happier.

She turned away from the boy and towards her cabinets. Of course it was impossible that this boy was the same to the one she came to like about two decades ago. That boy died by the hands of his older brother.

"Y-Yes, we have what you ask," she said nervously. "How many pieces of the bullets do you need?"

"Two dozen of silver and six dozen of the holy water," the boy said. He pulled a piece of paper from the back pocket of his jeans and referred to it. "And do you have fern and St. John's wort? And one liter can of C-grade holy water?"

"Ah, yes," she said as she put the merchandise in separate bags. She could be selling a lot that night too.

"I'll take two packets of the plant and five bottles of the water, please."

The woman continued to prepare the herbs and holy water. "I... I've never seen you before. Are you a new exorcist?"

"Er... no," the boy replied. "My brother and I are wandering anti-paranormal agents. Though we specialize in exterminating demons, so we may be more like exorcists. How much for these?"

She told him the price when the door slid open again and another familiar face peeked in.

"C'mon Yukio, is it still gonna take longer?"

The woman froze again as her eyes met with those blue ones she hated.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, anger barely hidden from her voice.

The boy who had just came in frowned. The woman watched him, noticing that just like the first boy, the blue-eyed one barely changed in appeareance too — though somehow smaller. He still wore a white shirt and dark pants, and carried that red-encased sword that he wouldn't part with him as if his core was in it.

The brown-haired boy noticed the odd anger in the voice of the shopkeeper. "I'm sorry," he said. "Though he looks like this, he won't be stealing from your store."

"Hey!" the older boy yelled indignantly.

But the younger one ignored him. He put his payment on the counter, handed one of the heavier bags to the other boy, and began pulling the blue-eyed boy out of the store.

The woman watched them as they were about to leave the store. "Yu— You! Do you really know who that guy is?"

She directed her hateful eyes to the older blue-eyed boy, who just looked away. But the younger of the boys smiled at her, almost proudly.

"He's my older brother!" he said, grabbing the hand of his Niisan. Raising his bag of goods, he continued. "Thank you for a good deal."

"W-Wait!" she called out.

'He killed you, you know?' she wanted to say. 'He ran you through with your sword and burned your body with his flames from Gehenna! He's a demon!'

But she saw that tight hold of those hands together. She saw that that thin line of a smile had changed to something more cheerful, probably because of just being beside this demon. She shrugged and smiled too.

"Take care, you two."

Both pairs of eyes of her customers widened.

"Yes, lady!" the brown-haired boy said politely. "Take care of yourself, too!"

They walked out of the store hand-in-hand. The older blue-haired boy turned around briefly.

"Thank you,... Shiemi."

And then he closed the door.

The woman continued to smile. Finally, after many years, a heavy weight was seemingly lifted from her heart.

"See you around, Rin, Yuki-chan."

END

THANKS FOR READING! :)