Ryuuji and Rin sat and played, Sho flying around their heads while Kuro watched. It was old toys from the Okumura twins home; luckily, they still kept that around or Rin might have gotten more stressful from all these changes.

With changes, he meant that his father was gone missing and his little brother was now his big brother, figuratively speaking.

It must have been rough on the runt, but even today, Ryuuji had no idea why Rin choose him as his caretaker. He was a complete stranger and any events that has happened until now hasn't helped him in finding the answer.

"Hey, runt, want ta get somethin' ta eat? I'm starvin'."

"Okay! I'll cook!"

Ryuuji smiled softly to himself. Even though the runt was so young, he was still a pretty good cook. Even so, his food as a teen did taste better. Maybe because of all the practice; as a runt, he still had to follow recipes.

They both cleaned up and then went towards the kitchen, Ryuuji calmly walking while Rin took off in a run. He seemed pretty excited. He always did whenever he had to cook.

And as usual, he was going to watch.

The phone rang and confused, he pulled it out while he stopped up in the middle of the hallway and accepted the call.

"Suguro Ryuuji!"

Shocked, he pulled the phone away from his ear, eyes widening. That was Yukio and he was yelling. Now that was new. He doesn't recall one time where he had even seen or heard the young exorcist mad. And he does have an excellent memory.

"Sensei?"

"Why aren't you goddamn working when I gave you direct orders to go?"

Oh, he was cursing too. Well, two could play at that game.

"Ya know goddamn well why!"

"Don't you dare speak in that tone to me! I'm your superior and I gave you direct -"

"I wouldn't even care if ya were my ma! 'N' tha' says a lot!"

"Your mother has no business in this! I'm your superior and when I give you orders, you better damn well follow them! I don't care what problems you have! Unless you're dead or can't walk, you are to follow orders."

"Not unless I want ta! Look, yer own fuckin' brother needed me, okay? He was countin' on me!"

"And I counted on you! Look, you assigned yourself as an exorcist, so you have to take the consequences -"

"By abandondin' a child?! Heck no! I might look tough, but I don't have a heart 'f stone like ya do! I don't even care if ya fuckin' fire me! Okay? That runt needed me."

"Kamiki-san -"

"Kamiki couldn't do anythin'! Didn't ya talk ta her? The runt was fuckin' hysterical 'n' she was completely thrown off! There was nothin' she could do 'bout it! I had to!"

"You had orders!"

"Screw those orders! I'd rather break th' law thousand times than abandon a kid! Heck, he's yer own brother! How can ya do tha'?"

"Kamiki-san -"

"'N' tha's wha' I keep tellin' ya! She couldn't do anythin'!"

"You listen to what I have to say, Suguro Ryuuji!"

Yukio had raised his voice so high, he was sure some windows must have broke or something. He could do nothing but listen.

"You might have been assigned the task of looking after ani since you were the only one he wanted. But when you're called for a job, you better obey."

"Not when I abandon a kid. Goddammit, he's yer own brother."

"That doesn't matter. You had a job to take care of and if you can't do that, you won't become an exorcist and you know that."

"I don't fuckin' care 'bout becomin' an exorcist if it means abandonin' a kid! I'll quit if tha' wha' it takes ta make ya understand!" he nearly screamed into the phone.

A quiet wail was heard and it soon evolved into loud crying. Ryuuji looked up too Rin not standing too far, wiping at his eyes while he cried.

"R-Ryuu? Why-Why are you c-c-c-crying? I d-don't -"

Ryuuji hushed him and walked up to him, kneeling while taking the phone down. "Hey, it's okay. I'm sorry, runt, but ya see... yer brother's quite mad at me 'n'... well, he said some stuff that made me mad. But it's nothin' ta worry 'bout. C'mere."

Crying still, Rin hugged him tightly and he wrapped an arm around the little runt. Putting the phone back up to his ear, Yukio was saying something, but he paid it no mind.

"Ya happy now? Ya made yer brother cry. Fer Christ's sake, he's five year old!"

"That doesn't matter -"

"It does matter! Aren't ya the least concerned 'bout yer own brother's safety?"

"Kamiki-san was -"

"Yanno wha'? Forget 'bout tha' woman, okay? She had absolutely no control 'f the situation 'n' if ya've talked ta her, ya would know it."

"Yes, I've talked to Kamiki-san and she told me everything. But that's still no excuse -"

"Excuse? Excuse?! Ya think I would have done it if the runt was older? Ya think I would have thrown everythin' away tha' I've worked so hard fer fer an excuse?! Yer brother, yer own goddamn brother, was cryin' his heart out cause he felt lonely! Like hell I'm just gonna ignore tha'!"

"I don't even care if the emperor was calling for you. You had a job to do."

"Yanno wha'? Fuck ya! Ye're cold, man. Ye're even worse than a demon." With that said, he threw the phone away and shortly after, glass shattered, shocking both him and the runt. Looks like he hit a window.

With a sigh, he picked up the runt, rocking him up and down. "Hey, runt. Why don't ya 'n' I go out ta eat, yeah? I imagine ye're not really in the mood ta cook anymore."

The runt merely nodded, sniffling while he fought to keep the tears at bay.

"It's alright, runt. I'll buy ya some ice-cream, alright? How does tha' sound?"

The runt sniffled some more, nodding a few times. He could see a hint of a smile on the runt's lips. Good enough.

"Alright. Let's."

Later in the evening, Ryuuji and Yukio was called into the principal's office. The report given by the Middle Class exorcist was the cause of this meeting. And of course, Rin was with Ryuuji.

"Suguro-kun, I understand that you've disobeyed an order from Okumura-sensei." Mephisto started, leaning back in his chair.

"That's correct, sir."

Mephisto looked at him with interest. It appeared he hadn't expected that answer. "Very good. I just wanted to be certain that I understood the situation completely."

Straightening up, Ryuuji prepared himself for the worst. The runt must have been able to sense his distress cause he felt a small hand encircle around his, giving him some comfort.

"Okumura-sensei, I haven't given authorazion for Suguro-kun to go out on any missions. I understand that Minami-san sent you on this mission, but they haven't come to me for permission."

Yukio took a step forward. One glance told him that the young exorcist was clearly confused. And so was he. "Pheles-kio, I don't understand."

"I will make this simple." Mephisto clapped his hands, keeping them pressed against one another as he leaned forward. "As you both know, Okumura-kun has - no, that's not entirely correct. What I mean is; Okumura-kun needs someone to look after him. And as a demon child, he only -"

"I'm not a demon!" the runt yelled, interrupting the principal in the middle of his explanation. Everyone present was shocked since they didn't expect Rin to talk at all. "I'm not a demon! Take that back! I'm not a demon! I'm a human!"

"Woah, woah, woah, calm down, runt." Ryuuji said, kneeling down and wrapping his arms around the smaller one. He could only barely keep him in place even though he used all of his strength. "There's nothin' wron' with bein' a demon, yanno."

"There is! I'm not bad!" The runt calmed down a little, just enough so that Ryuuji deemed it safe to loosen his grip and let the runt turn to look at him.

"Not all demons're bad, yanno. Just like not all humans're good." he replied with a shrug.

"W-What do you mean?"

Ryuuji breathed in and let it out in a long sigh. "Well... as lon' as... as lon' as ya stay kind, yanno. Help people. It's... It's 'bout yer heart, yanno, wha' ya choose ta do with yer life. Not 'bout how ya were born. It doesn't matter whether ye're a demon or a human. As... As lon' as ye're kind ta others, it doesn't matter wha' ye're born as. Alright?" Smiling softly, he ruffled the runt's hair.

Rin still looked at him with uncertainty. "But... people always call me a demon. Because I'm too strong and-and I get angry. They all hate me!" Once again, Rin was fighting to keep his tears at bay.

"No, they don't. I don't hate ya." Ryuuji replied calmly. "'N' yer brother don't either. 'N'... I'm sure yer father must love ya too. He's been takin' care 'f ya, right?"

That made him stop crying and instead gaze up at Ryuuji. He didn't say anything.

"Ya... Ya have people tha' care 'bout ya. So no, they all don't hate ya. Ye're a great guy, runt. Even if ye're a pain in the ass sometimes." he said with a chuckle, ruffling the runt's hair some more and then pulled him into a hug.

That was when Rin really started to cry, but he had a feeling it wasn't out of sadness. Maybe out of relief. That runt sure went through a lot.

"Now," Mephisto's voice interrupted, pulling him back into reality. He had momentarily forgotten where he was and what he was doing here. How embarrassing. "Where was I? Oh, right. About Okumura-kun's needs. You see, as a demon child -"

Immediately, Ryuuji lifted his hands to cover Rin's ears. Whatever the headmaster was going to say, he was sure the runt didn't need to hear it. Not until he had heard it first and deemed it safe enough to share it with him.

"- Okumura-kun needs his guardian near him at all times. It's an instinct. If the one he has chosen is gone for longer periods of time, he can grow hysterical and maybe even commit homicide, if he's pushed far enough. The reason for that is because he feels threatened; his instincts tells him that he should only trust one person and one person alone which happens to be Suguro-kun. Therefore, Suguro-kun must be with him at all times, to keep him calm and collected."

"So, if I understand correctly, Pheles-kio," Yukio said, sounding pretty confused. Well, Ryuuji might have been the same if he'd been standing in his shoes. "You're scolding me instead of Suguro-kun?"

"No, I'm not giving you a talking to, Okumura-sensei. You haven't been enlightened by the ways of raising a demon and that's understandable. No exorcist knows how to take care of an almost newborn demon. You have all been trained to eliminate them, after all. So I'm not blaming you for your actions, I'm merely edifying you."

Yukio was quiet after that. A single glance told him that the young exorcist was still trying to process this entire situation.

Ryuuji removed his hands from Rin's ears, picking up the runt and lifted them both up from the floor. "Is tha' all, headmaster?"

"That will be all, yes. Have a nice evening~!" Mephisto replied with a smile and a way too eager hand wave. "And don't go causing any trouble now~!"

Ryuuji decided not to comment on that one.

With a sigh, he pulled out a key, inserted it in the key hole, opened the door soon after and entered the hallways of the old boys' dormitory.

"Alright, runt, whaddya say ta just call it today 'n' go ta bed? I, fer one, am beat."

"Ryuu?"

"Hm?"

"What were you talking about? With that man."

Ryuuji was quiet for a while. He ruffled the runt's hair, smiling softly. "I'll tell ya 'bout it tomorrow, alright? Let's go ta bed fer now, hm?"

Rin nodded quietly, rubbing at an eye and then yawned widely. Ryuuji chuckled to himself and headed for the bathroom. What a day. He just hoped tomorrow would be better.

"Ryuu! Ryuu! Wake up! Wake up!"

Ryuuji groaned. He was beat. Just what time was it? But first thing first.

"Wha's it?" he said in a sleepy voice, rolling over on his side. Blinking, he attempted to wake up.

"I wanna go to the park! I wanna go to the park! I wanna go to the park!"

"Alright, alright! Just... wha' time's it? I'm so tired." he said with a yawn. He was actually surprised by his own words. He was usually pretty well rested when he woke up in the morning.

"I don't know." the runt replied more quietly.

He let out another groan and then searched for his phone. Upon finding it, he locked it up and squinted his eyes by the sudden bright light. Once he had gotten somewhat accostumed to it, he could see the numbers and that only made his eyes widen.

"Two - runt, it's not even three in the mornin'. Wha' the hell're ya thinkin'?"

"But I can't sleep! And I want to go to the park!"

"Not now." he replied with a groan, locking his phone and putting it back on the table. "Night, runt." With that said, he turned his back on the little one.

"But Ryuu!"

"I said no! Now let me sleep. I'm tired."

"But I can't sleep..." the runt almost whispered. He let out a sigh, turning over once more and lifted up the blanket.

"C'mere." he said tiredly, not even keeping his eyes open. "Wouldn't ya like ta go some place else tomorrow? We've been at the park a lot, yanno." Ending it with a yawn, he felt the runt climb up in the bed and he put the blanket over them both.

"But it's fun at the park..."

"I know, I know, it's just..." He yawned again, rubbing at his eye to get rid of the tears that gathered. "Yanno wha'? Let's talk 'bout it tomorrow. Night."

"Goodnight, Ryuu."

The rest of the night, they both slept peacefully.

That same morning at around seven am, they both sat at the table and ate the breakfast that the runt had made. It tasted good, but Ryuuji had a feeling the runt could do better. Well, maybe with some practice. He was still young.

"Oh, I just remembered," Ryuuji started, swallowing his bite. "I know ya wanted ta go ta the park, but I thought me 'n' ya should go out fer a swim. Whaddya say?"

"Go... Go swimming?"

"Yeah. I thought it'd be fun, yanno. Ta go out 'n' do somethin' else."

"But I can't swim." the runt said with a pout.

"Don't worry, I'll teach ya."

"R-Really?"

Ryuuji took a sip of the juice, nodding. "Yeah."

"Y-You'll really teach me how to swim?!"

He nodded again. "Yeah."

The runt climbed down from his seat and started jumping. "I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go now! Ryuu, let's go!"

"Relax, kid. We're goin' when we're goin'. We need ta eat first."

"But I wanna go now!" the runt whined, pouting.

"'N' ya need ta eat, so that's not a chance. Now sit up 'n' eat. Otherwise, we won't go."

"But Ryuu!"

"No buts! Now sit down 'n' eat."

Eagerly, the runt got up again and ate faster than before. Ryuuji just let him and ate his own food calmly. He had a feeling he was going to lecture this kid all day, so he needed all the energy he could get.

"Goodmorning, Yukio!"

"Hm?" Looking up, he saw the young exorcist walking toward the kitchen, probably to grab his own breakfast. Yukio stopped up when he sat eyes on him.

"Mornin', sensei." he said after a while.

Yukio didn't say anything and merely gave him a look. Ryuuji couldn't quite place what that was about. But that look surely wasn't positive.

Without a word, the young exorcist moved on as if nothing was wrong. As usual.

"Ah, Yukio's in a bad mood again." the runt said quietly with a frown.

"Really?" he said absentmindedly.

"Yeah. And I think he's mad at you."

He looked up, only to see the runt finishing his meal and jumping down from the chair. He opened his mouth, but then remembered that Yukio was still present. Glancing over his shoulder, he watched the young exorcist leave with a sandwich in his mouth. Once he was sure the young exorcist was out, he started talking.

"Why would he be mad at me?" he asked the runt.

"I don't know. But he always blame others." Rin replied while jumping down the chair. "Now let's go! I wanna go swim! Swim, swim, swim!"

"Relax, kiddo. I haven't finished eaten yet."

"Ryuu! I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go..." And that annoying runt just kept on going. Ryuuji groaned deeply, burying his face into his hands. This living hell was never going to end, was it?

He smacked the hand on the table, glaring at the runt. "We're not goin' if ya keep on talkin'! Now shut up! Ye're givin' me a headache. Jesus." Running a hand through his hair, he sat there and glared at the air.

"But Ryuu..." the runt said quietly, carefully.

"Last warnin'."

The runt stayed quiet after that, standing there and looking at him. He choose to ignore the little one for the time being and focus on eating his breakfast. Like hell he was gonna skip a meal just because the runt was impatient.

Damn, he sure had a lot to teach the runt.