[AnE] Blood Ties

The sun was shining already high in the bright blue sky, promising another wonderful spring day. Yukio sighed, unable to focus on the book that laid in front of him. Since his brother was out with his friends the house was curiously silent, but there was still something in the atmosphere that was preventing him from studying. Another sigh escaped from his lips. Maybe it was too quiet. He was so used to Rin's complaining and snorting that, when his twin wasn't with him, Yukio felt like he was missing something. Moreover, even if he was obviously persuaded that it was a good thing that now Rin had friends and all what the thing implied, he couldn't help but feeling a bit jealous. But that was surely due to the excessive protectiveness he felt for his older brother, so it was not exactly something he could control.

He shook his head, driving away those useless thoughts and trying to free his mind. However that day his concentration seemed to be on strike. He tried to focus for other ten minutes but in the end, seeing that all his attempts were vain, he gave up and closed the book, considering the idea of going out to have a walk. But, before he could even leave his desk, something caught his attention: perched on the windowsill there was Amaimon, a lollipop stuck in his mouth and eyes travelling around the room. Yukio stared at him both surprised and worried. What the Hell was the green-haired demon doing in their dorm?

Amaimon looked back at him with his usual blank expression pulling the lollipop out of his mouth. "Where is Rin?"he asked toneless.

Yukio lifted his eyes, irritated. Of course, Rin. He should have imagined that the demon had come to look for his brother. He was always hunting and bothering his twin for one reason or another, and sometimes even without a real motif, causing troubles to both of them. And that because Rin wasn't enough patient and mature just to ignore Amaimon's taunts, but he always had to answer them or get mad and so Yukio was more than often forced to intervene and fix the situation.

"Obviously Nii-san is not here"the young exorcist answered. "So, please, go away and don't bother me. Even if I would rather you left also Rin in peace once and for all".

The green-haired demon didn't answer, almost as he hadn't listened to what the other had said, biting his nail thoughtfully.

"Ehy! Are you still there?"Yukio asked now a bit irritated. "I said I want you to go away! I must study and then I have to prepare the lessons for next week and I can't do it if you stay here. I can't focus with you around".

Once again Amaimon ignored him, lost in his own considerations. "But if Rin is not here, who am I supposed to play with? I am bored!"he complained. "Aniue literally kicked me out of his office saying I was bothering him! But he wasn't even working! I just asked him to do something with me since he wasn't busy. I don't understand why he has chased me away!".

"I can understand him instead..." the exorcist mumbled talking to himself. Then he said in a louder voice: "I'm sorry to inform you that this is not my problem. So, please, do whatever you want but get out of my room". He was using all his self-control to keep clam. Amaimon was surely one of the most annoying creatures he had ever met in his life and he was grateful he didn't have to face him too often. The demon was one of the few people who could boast about being able to drive him mad easily. His brother, even when he went on mission alone without telling anything to anybody, had never made him as irate as Amaimon had done in some occasions.

"But I'm bored!"the other answered back.

"Not my business!".

"Oh, come on! I don't want to go and look for Rin! I want to play right now!".

"And so? Why should I care of what you want?".

Amaimon kept silent for few moments and then a worrisome grin slowly spread on his face. "Well, if I can't play with Rin, I can always play with you! You are one of my brothers, even if an almost human one!"he exclaimed in the end, his usually dull eyes crossed by a gleam of satisfaction.

"Excuse me, what? No way!"Yukio protested. "I told you I'm busy. And, even if I wasn't, I would never waste my time playing some stupid game with you!".

"Oh, now you will play with me instead! It's not such a big deal!"the green-haired demon answered back, stubborn.

"It is instead! I said no way, Amaimon. Get out!"the young exorcist shouted, pointing the window. "Now! Go bother Mephisto since you said he has nothing to do, and stay away from Rin and me!".

"I told you Aniue just kicked me out! Come on, Yukio!"the other begged. "I will be bored to death if I don't find something to do! I don't like playing alone, it's not much fun. And Behemoth is not enough for me at the moment!".

"Not my business". Yukio shook his head, unshakeable.

"Just one game!"the demon insisted. "Listen, we can play a game and if you win I won't bother you or Rin for a whole week, I swear! But, please, play with me!".

"And what if you win?".

"You will spend the day with me!".

The exorcist considered the idea for some moments. It could have been the opportunity to free his brother and himself from Amaimon's annoying presence for a while. However, on the other hand, if he had lost the game, he would have had to spend a whole day with the demon, indulging all his silly whims. But this way he would have kept him away from his twin for once and this wasn't a bad thing at all. Well, he would do it for Rin's sake then, even if it meant to bear the green-haired demon's childish behaviour and excessive enthusiasm. "Let's say you will not bother us for three weeks"he stated in the end.

"Two weeks!"the other replied. "I can't avoid for more time".

Yukio sighed. "Ok, deal. So...what game do you want to play?"he gave up defeated. He knew that letting Amaimon choose the kind of match was really dangerous but he was sure that the demon would have never accept to leave the choice to him. It was a part of his entertainment after all.

The other gave him another grin full of satisfaction that seemed to say: "I knew you would give up" and then started biting his nails again, trying to find a game he could win for sure. There was no way he would have lost. It was his fun that was involved.

The young exorcist glared at him irritated and considered for a moment to shoot him as he usually did with the other demons, but he put aside the idea almost immediately thinking that he would have had to give Mephisto too many explanations, so he just said urgently: "I don't have the whole blessed day, Amaimon, so, please, would you mind hurrying up?".

"Uff, Yukio, you are so impatient! I want to enjoy myself so I need to find a nice game!"Amaimon complained pulling his almost finished lollipop back in his mouth. As he did it a flash passed across his eyes, causing Yukio to glare at him with concern. A large smile opened on the demon's face. That was a great idea. Oh, he was going to win with no doubt. "Found it!"he exulted.

"And would it be...?"the exorcist asked cautiously.

"Let's see who can eat more candies!"Amaimon exclaimed, his smile becoming even bigger. "It's lot of fun and I love sweets!".

The other stared at him in horror. A candy-eating competition? That was even worse than what he had imagined. He wasn't very fond of sweets and moreover he was sure that instead the demon ate just them. He was really in troubles. 'Maybe it's better if I just put up with the idea that I will have to spend a day with Amaimon'he thought feeling hopeless. Complaining was useless. He had accepted to play a stupid game and now he had to play it. 'Rin will have to be very grateful since I'm doing this for him'.

Meanwhile Amaimon, ignoring his reaction, had pulled out apparently from nowhere a pile of lollipops and other kinds of sweets and had put them on Yukio's desk before jumping on it and taking place, ready to start the game. "Hurry up! Let's play!"he exclaimed excited, throwing the plastic stick he had in his mouth on the floor.

Yukio sighed and sat on his chair again, facing the enormous mass of sweets dispirited. He would have ended up feeling really sick. He had no doubts about it. "Let's start the torture…"he mumbled shaking his head and picking up a lollipop. "If I survive this, it means I'm able to eat everything".

"One, two, three...start!"the green-haired demon shouted literally throwing himself on the pile both with enthusiasm and gluttony.

It was a real wrench for Yukio. Already after candy number ten his stomach had started complaining and he had had to force himself to ignore the feeling of sickness that had started spreading inside him. Besides, the sight of Amaimon happily devouring the sweets hadn't helped at all. However, in spite of that, he went on until there were no sweets left on the table, his mind focused on the fact that he was doing it to protect his twin from Amaimon's crazy plans.

When it was finally over, the green-haired demon fixed his eyes on him, a bit surprised. "For Father's sake, you ate them all for real! I had thought you would have given up halfway!"he commented turning his attention to the candy wrappers scattered around them. "I'm impressed, Yukio. But, I'm sorry for you, it seems I won! And it was lot of fun too!".

The young exorcist opened his mouth to answer something sarcastic but his stomach revolting prevented him from doing so and he had to clap a hand on his mouth not to bring up.

"Are you ok?"Amaimon asked. "Come on, you must be in a good form or you will ruin our day together! And it would be quite annoying...".

"I...I am fine"Yukio managed to say even if his face was saying the other way. "I...just let me go to the bathroom for a moment!".

"Ok! I'll decide where we are going meanwhile!"the demon stated happily. "Be quick".

The other just ignored him and almost running got his way to the toilet feeling the very need to empty his stomach from all the sugar.

Half an hour later the two were busy to arrange their things under a small gazebo at a short distance from the foreshore, where the waves were gently caressing the sand. The sun was shining brightly and it was quite hot but in the shadow the temperature was really enjoyable.

Yukio sighed wondering once again how he had ended up at the seaside. As he had come out of the bathroom, Amaimon had grabbed him by the wrist yelling he had found the best place for their day together. He hadn't even had the chance to complain or to ask explanations because the demon had dragged him to the apartment he shared with Mephisto and he had left him outside for several minutes, after mumbling something about the fact that he had to pick up everything necessary. The exorcist had waited for him almost with anxiety, trying to imagine what the Hell the other had in his mind. In the end Amaimon had returned with a bag full of only God knew what and had waved in front of his eyes what Yukio had recognized as one of Mephisto's special keys, a big worrisome smile lighting up his face.

"Does your brother know you are using his things?"Yukio had asked already knowing the answer.

"Well, if you don't tell him he will never know!"the green-haired demon had in fact replied. "And don't look like that! Don't worry, even if he finds out, he will be mad only at me, so it's not your problem!".

"If you say so..."the young exorcist had muttered, not convinced. "So, where are we going? You still haven't told me".

"To the seaside!" the enthusiastic answer had been. "That's why I took the keys! We can get there easily in a while using them".

Yukio had frozen, caught off guard. That was the last thing he was expecting. "Why do you want to go there?"he had asked a bit worried.

"It's a nice day and there are lots of games we can do at the beach"the demon explained toneless. "Besides, there you will not be able to escape from me with one of your nice excuses".

The other had wondered how he could say that kind of things with such a blank expression but hadn't commented. "Ok, ok. You are right. I'm just glad that Rin hasn't to bear all this for once...".

"We will enjoy ourselves, you'll see! So try to make a happier face! I'm not letting your long face ruin my amusement! And stop thinking about Rin! I am your Aniki today".

"You are not telling me you expect me to call you "Nii-san", I hope!". The exorcist was now completely astonished.

"I am instead. Why not? It's part of the game!"Amaimon had stated glaring at him almost maliciously.

"As you wish...Nii-san"he had given up, dispirited once again.

And this way he was now sat under the gazebo in his swimming trunks, busy to cover is too white skin with a huge amount of sun cream, while his "Aniki" had already thrown himself in the cool salty water.

"Yukio, hurry up!"Amaimon shouted in that moment. "I'm getting bored!".

"I don't care! I'm using the time I need! I have no intention of getting sunburned just because of your impatience!"the exorcist answered irritated, lifting his eyes. That was going to be a really long day.

The green-haired demon got out of the sea and reached him. "What the Hell are you doing with that thing?"he asked pointing the cream with his usual not so clever expression.

Yukio breathed deeply to keep calm. "This...thing is called cream. It protects your skin from the sun heat and prevents it from becoming all red and aching"he explained with the tone he habitually used with children. "I'm not used to stay in the sun without clothes so I'm putting it on because I don't want to burn myself. Understood? You should put on some too, by the way".

The other blinked and then nodded. "Got it. But I don't need that thing, I'm a demon. Can you come to play with me now?".

"Do as you please, but the fact that you are a demon doesn't mean you can't get burned. My Nii-san does all the times. I'm coming, I'm coming, but I have to finish with the cream before".

"Why?".

The exorcist looked at him astonished. Was he making fun of him? Or was he for real so stupid? "Sometimes I wonder how can you be the brother of your brother, you know?"he commented with a sigh, putting the cream back in the bag. "Never mind. What game do you want to play?".

"Just have some fun in the water first. Then we will build something with the sand!"Amaimon answered grabbing him by the arm and pulling him towards the sea.

Yukio followed him unhopeful, ready to do whatever he would have been asked.

They spent some time in the water and Amaimon tried many times, more or less inadvertently, to drown his playmate jumping on him without notice and dragging him underwater. For Yukio, at the beginning he just tried to survive to the other's for his liking too playful attacks, but soon he found himself returning those stupid tricks almost with delight. He had to admit he was quite enjoying himself as it had happened not so often recently and he couldn't help but laughing at the demon's surprised expression each time he succeeded in catching him out off guard, even if he was getting tired.

When eventually Amaimon decided he was fed up with staying in the water, the two went back to the gazebo to dry themselves off. The young exorcist let himself fall on the floor and put his glasses on again. He was now almost wishing that his brother was there. He was sure that his twin would have enjoyed it, even if there was Amaimon. After all that was Rin's kind of activities not exactly his. But he didn't mind it considering the whole thing.

He turned to his companion who was looking for something inside the bag, showing this way his back to him. The exorcist's eyes immediately focused on the demon's tail which was whipping the air jerkily. He hadn't noticed it while in the water because their bodies were almost completely sunken but now it was exactly in front of him. It was very similar to his brother's but the dark fur was more greenish. He had always found the demon's tails quite fascinating because they always expressed their emotions so clearly. He found quite entertaining trying to guess his twin's mood by looking at his tail. And so he could clearly see that at the moment Amaimon was irritated for some reason.

"What's wrong?"he asked after few moments, moving his eyes from the demon's tail.

"I forgot at home my candies. I can't believe!"the other complained, turning to face him, pouting. "What am I supposed to do now?".

At the word "candies" Yukio's stomach revolted, but he forced himself to ignore it. "You will not die if you don't eat sweets for one afternoon, trust me"he stated with a sigh. "And, in my opinion, we have already eaten enough candies for today!".

"Maybe you have..."Amaimon muttered unhappily.

The young exorcist sighed again and got up. The break was over. He had to make the demon play if he didn't want to be forced to bear also his complaining. "Come on, Amaimon, let's go"he said holding out his hand to him.

"Where are we going?"the other asked puzzled but he grabbed the hand.

"Didn't you say you wanted to build something with the sand?".

Amaimon's eyes lit up with childish happiness. "Yay! I said it!".

Yukio hid a smile. "So, what are you waiting for? Let's go before I change my mind!".

"I want to build a castle! I'm a king after all, I need one! And I want it to be big enough to let me enter in it!".

"Wait...What?". The exorcist's face turned astonished. "Please, tell me you're kidding, Amaimon. That's not something we can do for real!".

"Oh, come on, Yukio! We are Satan's sons! We can do everything!"the worrying answer was. Unfortunately the green-haired demon really meant to do what he had said.

The other sighed again, exasperated. "What did I do to deserve this?"he groaned lifting his eyes, but he let the demon bring him near the shore and knelt with him in the sand to start that crazy project.

When they finally went back to the gazebo the sun was already low in the sky. They had spent almost three hours under the burning rays trying to pull together the building that the green-haired demon had so imaginatively daydreamt without real good results. But it hadn't been that bad. They had even started a sort of battle at one point, ending up destroying what they had built and having themselves all covered with sand. Yukio could hardly remember the last time he had behaved in that way. He was still a child, it had been before Shiro told him the truth about him and Rin, before he decided to become an exorcist to be able to protect his brother and to face his biological father. He ran absently a hand in his wet hair. It seemed to him an age ago while they were not even ten years. Lots of things had happened since that day, first of all his foster father's death.

"Ahi! What the Hell...?".

Amaimon's surprised and cross voice suddenly took him back to the present. He turned and he saw the demon cautiously studying his skin, almost as he was afraid to touch it. His back was completely red and so were the upper part of his arms and partially his face.

"It seems I was right"the exorcist commented, a little grin spreading on his lips. "I had no doubt about it after all".

The other lifted his eyes on him, irritated by his mocking tone. "What the Hell are you talking about?"he asked abruptly.

"You burnt yourself. If you had listened to me and put on the cream this would have never happened. But you were so sure that demons were immune to the sun heat...Well, we have seen it!"he teased, sarcastic. "Maybe next time you will be more careful and try to accept advices by people who know what they are talking about, won't you?".

"Don't make fun of me, Yukio. I hate it, I used to kill all the fucking idiots that in Gehenna dared to make fun of me. And the fact that we are related won't prevent me from doing the same with you, don't forget"the demon growled, irritated. "Besides, this thing I have it's not a pleasant feeling".

Yukio sighed shaking his head. That demon was simply unbelievable. "I will never understand how you can be so childish and so cruel at the same time"he stated raising his hands in surrender. "Come here, let me see if I can do something for that sunburn".

Amaimon glanced at him suspiciously, but he slowly approached. "What do you want to do? Be careful, it aches a lot!"he warned turning his back to let the other see his burnt skin.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. I wanted to study medicine when I was younger. And then it's just a sunburn, nothing so serious"the reassuring answer was. "You can trust me".

"And why didn't you study it?"the demon inquired curiously turning aside to look at him.

"Because I discovered I was Satan's son and that my twin brother was going to turn into a demon soon". Yukio's tone filled with disappointment and a strange melancholy. "I had to do something to prevent my real father from taking Rin away from me. So I decided to become an exorcist and started my studies at the True Cross. But my passion for medicine remained and I have kept studying and practicing on my own and I can say I've become quite an expert".

"If you say so...But I don't understand why you took so badly the fact you are a half demon. I see nothing wrong in it"Amaimon stated, biting his nail slowly. "Being just a human must be so boring! They are all weak and fragile".

"I remember you that I am human, Amaimon. But never mind. Let's say that things have become very complicated, especially for Rin. I don't think somebody else, especially you, a demon, will ever understand what my twin and I are living, so it's useless for me to try to give you an explanation. Let's focus on your problem. It's better".

"As you wish! But I'm still not seeing the problem. And you are not human as one of Father's sons. No matter if you have completely human appearances or if you have no particular power. Aniue says it too. You can't change what you are. You can't change that thing...how did Aniue called it? Ah, yes! NDA!".

"It's DNA"the young exorcist corrected him, but he decided to let the subject drop and cautiously passed his fingers on the demon burning hot skin, causing him to groan in discomfort. "That's really a quite bad sunburn"he commented absently, more to himself than to the other. "All kidding aside, you really should have listened to me. It will take it a while to heal completely. And meanwhile it will go on hurting. You are totally irresponsible, Nii-san".

The demon stared at him surprised. "How have you called me?"he asked after a moment. "Have you just said Nii-san?".

"Have I?"Yukio faltered embarrassed. "I...I haven't realized".

A playful grin spread on Amaimon's face. "Should I take it as a sort of confession of the fact that you enjoyed yourself today and that you thought me as your brother for real?"he teased. "Oh, Rin would not be happy to hear this. You will make him jealous!".

"Shut up, idiot"the exorcist growled blushing and he pressed the tip of his fingers on the other's injured skin, making him yelling. "Let's go home, instead. I should have something to treat this kind of injuries in my dorm. We need to put a compress on these sunburns or they will worsen"he said, removing his hands. "Collect your things and get dressed".

"You are a demon, Yukio, no matter what you assert. You hurt me!"Amaimon complained touching carefully the points where his companion had dug his nails.

"This way you will learn not to say such stupid things. Now, hurry up before I do it again".

"Evil. Ok, ok, but I'm not going to put on my clothes with these painful things! No way!".

"You can avoid putting on your shirt if you prefer, then. Just stop fooling around and whining. Rin will be at home soon and I want to be there when he comes back".

Amaimon muttered something incomprehensible but did as he was said and began collecting his own things and clothes. Yukio sighed for the umpteenth time before getting dressed in turn, but his mind was still focused on the words the other had said about his nature. He hated to admit it but that was so damn right. And he would have to face that truth sooner or later.

"Are you ready?"he asked shaking his head and driving those thoughts away.

"Yeah, I am"the other snorted.

"What's wrong now?"the young exorcist asked.

"Nothing..."the curt answer was.

Yukio decided not to inquire any longer and finished to collect his stuff, unable to understand the sudden mood changes of his companion.

They got to Yukio and Rin's dorm quite quickly and the green-haired demon kept curiously silent for all time, not even complaining about the hot sorrow that was tormenting his skin, too busy with thinking about God knew what, a strange dark expression on his face. The young exorcist pretended not to notice it and, when they arrived, he opened the door and waited for his companion to enter before stepping in himself.

"Take a seat in the living room while I look for the medications"he said, making for the bedroom. "And, please, try not to make troubles, understood? I did the housework just yesterday".
"What do you think I can do staying sat here?"Amaimon protested throwing himself on the sofa, paying attention to avoid the contact between the cloth and his injuries.

"One can never know when it's about you"the reply was.

The demon snorted but didn't answer back. That half blood could be so annoying sometimes. Did he think that the fact he had been quite compliant for all time gave him the right to treat him like a child? He was a demon, and not a common one, he was the Earth King, damn! Besides, Yukio should have paid respect to him just because he was one of his older brothers, whether he liked it or not. Even if he had to admit that the exorcist could be a nice playmate if he went hard at it.

The train of his thoughts was cut off by the other who entered the room again, carrying in his arms bandages and some medicine bottles. Amaimon watched him placing with care the medications on the small table in front of them and then choosing one of the containers.

"Come on, turn"Yukio ordered. "I'm treating your back firstly because the sunburn is more extended".
The demon nodded and did as he was said even if not without a shadow of reluctance. "Be careful. I don't want you to hurt me"he warned. "If you hurt me again, I'll hurt you too this time!".
"Why don't you just trust me for once?"the exorcist answered back a bit irritated. "I have no reason to hurt you, unless you say stupid things or tease me. So just stop fooling around and we will be both happier".

"You are such a bore, Yukio. And so touchy too".

"What did you say?".

"Nothing!".

Yukio shook his head and started to apply the cream on the other's sunburn. His experienced hands brushed the injured skin almost without causing pain and the demon soon relaxed under his skilled touch. The cool substance made a nice contrast with the heat of his skin and made him feel a whole lot better.

"How is it?"the young exorcist asked after a while pulling his hands away to take the bandages."Did I hurt you?".

"No, you didn't. You are good"Amaimon was forced to admit. "I wish Aniue was as good and especially as helpful as you are. All the times I come home injured I always have to take care of my wounds without help or, if he bothers to help me, he always ends up to hurt me more!".

"I think you are complaining a little too much, Amaimon…I'm sure Mephisto is not as unable as you claim he is. Not at all".

"I'm not exaggerating! And it's not because he is unable or whatever, it's just that he doesn't care if he hurts me!".

Yukio sighed. Demons' relationships. So complicated and absurd. "What can I do about it? It's your brother, you should talk to him about this"he stated calmly, fixing the bandages and taking the demon's arms to treat them. "Don't you agree?".

"No, I don't. Your human just-talk-and-everything-will-be-alright thing doesn't work with demons!"the other answered, irritated. "You should know considering your job".

"Well, I don't consider either you or Mephisto common demons, first of all. Then, if these are the facts, I don't know what to say. I guess demons, even the higher rank ones, solve everything by fighting, but I'm not sure you would have a match with Mephisto, would you?".

"I have already told you not to make fun of me".

"I'm not making fun of you, Amaimon. I'm just considering things objectively".

The green-haired demon snorted again and, not knowing what to reply, he just let the exorcist finish to bandage his arms. "Can…can I come here when I get hurt?"he asked halting after some moments of silence. "I mean…It would be nice if you could take care of my wounds as you do with Rin's".

Yukio stopped, staring at him surprised, caught off guard by his request. "It depends on how you get your wounds. I'm not going to help you if you have hurt my Nii-san or my friends or some innocent"he replied hesitantly. "But...I see nothing so wrong if you haven't".

"Got it"Amaimon nodded. Then he added: "You are not that bad as a playmate, you know? We should play together more often in the future".

"I'm not sure it is a good idea"the young exorcist mumbled, beginning to rub the cream on the other's face. He wasn't sure he had enough patience to bear the demon for another whole day. And besides it would mean endless discussions with Rin if his twin had ever found it out.

"Oh, come on, Yukio! You enjoyed yourself today, admit it! I know you did!"the other insisted.

"Keep quiet or I will end up putting the cream in your eyes"Yukio ordered grabbing his chin. "I admit it, it has been a nice day".

"And so why don't you want to do it again? It's for Rin, isn't it? Why is everything always about Rin? I'm fed up with this!".

"Calm down, please. Rin is my brother. And the person I love most in the world. So he comes before everything for me. I'm not changing my priorities".

"Well, see it this way then: if I'm with you, I can't be with your precious Rin. So we can both be satisfied, don't we?"Amaimon stated heatedly. "You should be glad of this".

"That's true"the exorcist admitted with a sigh. "I can't believe, you are being logical!".

"Spare me your sarcasm. Come on, do you agree?".

"As you wish. But stop bother Rin so often".

"Deal! So, can I come to play with you?".

Yukio nodded defeated. He would have agreed to everything just to stop the demon from whining and floundering. "Come on, I'm done with your sunburns. Considering your demon blood you should be in a good form in a couple of days. If not, just come and see me, understood?"he commanded.

"Yes, doctor!"Amaimon teased getting up and putting on his shirt. "It's better if I make for my home or Aniue will start wondering in which trouble I have gotten myself this time".

The exorcist followed him up to the door shaking his head. "If he wonders about this it means he cares a little bit about you, don't you think so?".

"Nah! He is just afraid I ruin his reputation as the True Cross headmaster. That's all"the hopeless answer was.

"If you are so sure…However that may be, I also think it's time for you to go home".

"It has been a great day! I'm looking forward to the next time!"Amaimon exclaimed becoming all of a sudden excited again. "And it will be soon, won't it?".

"Maybe not too soon, I hope. I have to recharge my battery before spending another day like this!"Yukio smiled. "But I have to say it's a nice training for my self-control. It would not be bad for me to practise a little bit sometimes".

They stared at each other for few moments, then the green-haired demon seemed to be about to add something but the door suddenly opened, preventing him from speaking. Rin stared at them, looking firstly at the demon, then at his brother and then back again.

"What's going on here?"he exclaimed after getting over the surprise. "Amaimon! What the Hell are you doing in my house?".

The green-haired demon ignored him. "So I'll see you, Yukio! Until next time!"he said addressing to the younger twin.

"Bye, Amaimon. And, please, behave!"Yukio answered.

The other waved his hand and went around the corner, disappearing from their view. Rin turned towards his brother, seeking for an explanation.

"What the Hell was that bastard doing in our dorm?"he asked confused and a bit irritated. "Why did you let him in?".

"Mind your tongue, Nii-san, you know I don't approve that kind of language"his twin warned going back into the apartment.

"Yukio! You haven't answered me!"the older twin complained, following him in. "What's going on between you and Amaimon?".

"Medical treatments"the calm answer was.

"What?".

"He came here because he needed my medical skills, Nii-san"Yukio explained patiently, reaching his desk and sitting down. It was quite a lie but he was doing his brother good after all. He would have got mad and he would have chased Amaimon for sure, possibly loosing the control on his flames again, if he had told him the truth. So it was better for him not to know. "Can you please calm down now?".

"He...you cured his wounds? Why? I mean, after all he had done to me! To us, Yukio!".

"I said calm down, Nii-san. I can understand your disappointment. But after all Amaimon is one of our brothers, he is a part of our family, whether we want to accept it or not. So I find nothing wrong in helping him. And, besides, he promised he would have bothered us less often if I had cured him. I did it for us". The younger twin sighed. "Please, Nii-san, I'm tired. I'm not in the mood for discussing, and you know I don't like discussing with you, especially if it's not extremely necessary".

"Ok, Yukio, I will believe you"Rin gave up sighing in turn and grabbing a chair to take place next to his brother. "I don't like discussing with you either. But, you know, I'm just worried about you as you are worried about me". He frowned as he leant his crossed arms on the desk. "Have I misunderstood or have you just said that Amaimon is our brother?"he asked looking at the other.

"I guess I said it"Yukio muttered embarrassed. "Amaimon himself put that stupid idea in my mind. He talks too much sometimes. But after all he is right. We are all Satan's sons, Nii-san. We can't deny that. No matter how much we hate to admit it".

"Yeah...". Rin rested his chin on his arms closing his eyes for a moment, his tails moving lazily against the chair back. "I can't believe that Amaimon can be that smart sometimes".

"He surprised me too. Maybe he is not as naive as we have believed". The exorcist smiled and ruffled his older brother's hair. "Come on, stop thinking about him now. Should we cook our meal? It's almost suppertime"he proposed glancing at the clock.

The other seemed to cheer up suddenly. "Sure!"he exclaimed returning the smile. "What do you want to eat?".

"Whatever is fine. You know that I love everything you cook, Nii-san".

"Fine! Then come with me, I want to make an experiment tonight!".

Rin grabbed Yukio's hand and dragged him into the kitchen. The younger twin couldn't help but feeling happy, tightening his grip on his brother's fingers. It had been a good day against all his expectations. He had spent an enjoyable afternoon at seaside after ages and now he would be having a nice evening with Rin. He could not wish for more.

Meanwhile, Amaimon had walked all the way back and reached his apartment, but he was so lost in thoughts that he realised he had arrived only when he almost banged against the front door. He shook his head with a sigh, pulling out a lollipop from his pocket and putting it in his mouth before entering.

"I'm home, Aniue!"he shouted toneless as usual. Hearing his voice, Behemoth jumped off the sofa where he was laying and run towards the demon to throw himself on him, happy to see his owner again.

"Amaimon! Finally here you are!"Mephisto's voice said from the next room. "That familiar of yours was driving me crazy with all his whining. Next time take it with you, please!".

The Earth King took the goblin in his arms and reached his brother. The older demon was sat on the couch dressed in his pink yukata, holding some papers in one hand and an ice cream sundae in the other.

"I'm sorry, Aniue, I didn't expect to stay away until late"he said approaching, eyes fastened on the ice cream. "Can I have some too? I'm hungry".

"It's in the fridge. Help yourself"the careless answer was.

"Thanks, Aniue". The green-haired demon hurried up to move in the kitchen, anxious to get his dinner.

"Tell me, Amaimon, where have you been all this time?"Mephisto asked lifting his eyes from the papers. "Teasing Rin as always?".

"Not really. That was my purpose, but when I reached the dorm there was only Yukio"Amaimon answered from the other room filling a cup for himself with all the ice cream that could enter in it and even more.

"And so? Don't tell me you have played alone all the day! And especially without destroying anything! It's not like you".

"In fact I didn't. It would have been too boring. I spent the whole day at the seaside with Yukio! It was lot of fun".

"What?". Mephisto moved from his position to see his brother's face. "Are you kidding me? You spent a day with our Mr. Teacher and you enjoyed it? You can't be serious, my dear Otouto".

"Instead I am, Aniue. Yukio is not as bad as I thought, even if he can be such a bore in some moments"the green-haired demon stated almost protectively. "And he is a bit too much into those stupid human values. But I guess this is something I can remedy quite easily. After all he is the younger between us, so I also have the right to teach him how a demon should behave and what he should believe in".

"Uh-uh, it seems you got interested in our Okumura-sensei! That's quite curious!"the older demon commented amused. "You have surprised me, Amaimon! I didn't expect this from you!".

Amaimon got back in the living room and let himself fall next to his brother. "Don't put words in my mouth that I did not say"he growled. "I just meant that he is a nice playmate, that's all".

"But you consider him a part of our family, if I have not misunderstood".

"Yeah. But he is, don't you agree, Aniue?".

"Obviously I do, Amaimon. It's the truth after all".

They kept silent for few minutes, Amaimon busy devouring his enormous ice cream, Mephisto reading his documents. In the end it was the younger who broke the silence.

"Aniue? Can we watch a movie?"he asked yawning. "I'm getting bored".

"Of course we can, Otouto. Just give me some more minutes. I have to finish to examine these reports"the other demon nodded without moving his eyes from the papers. "You know, being the headmaster of that school can be quite annoying sometimes. Go and choose the film meanwhile".

"Yeah, I know you are always busy and you never have time"Amaimon whispered to himself. "Or, at least, you never have time for me".

"What did you say? I didn't hear".

"Nothing important, Aniue. Don't worry about it".

The green-haired demon took a DVD by chance from one of the shields and put it into the recorder before going back to his place on the sofa, holding the remote control. Behemoth settled next to him and poked at his hand to gain some cuddles. "Tell me when you are ready, Aniue"Amaimon said, stroking the goblin's head.

"You can't start it now, if you wish. I don't mind"his brother mumbled absently.

"No, I will wait for you"he said. His tone was so firm that Mephisto lifted his eyes, surprised by all that emotion that didn't definitely fit his brother's usually toneless voice. "I want to see the movie with you. If you are not watching it, it doesn't make sense to me".

The older demon stared at him for a while, as he was trying to understand if he had just heard what he thought he had or not, then leant the reports on the table next to the couch and slowly adjusted himself between the pillows. "If you want it so badly, then my papers can wait, I guess"he smiled, trying to hide his astonishment. He wondered what the Hell had happened with Yukio that afternoon to put his younger brother in such a strange mood. He seemed to be too much sensitive to be his Otouto. "After all, every nice excuse not to work is welcome!".

Amaimon nodded without commenting and turned the television on, starting the DVD. Then he laid back against his brother and rested his nape on the other's shoulder, his eyes stuck on the screen while his mind was lost in the feeling of heat coming from his senses. His sunburns were aching under his clothes because of the pressure of the contact, but he ignored the pain even when Mephisto accidentally brushed his skin with his sharp nails while slipping an arm around his shoulder. He just wanted to enjoy that rare moment of intimacy, he just wished to think for a while that he and the older demon could be a real family, that they could really be brothers as Yukio and Rin were. No matter if it was just an ephemeral illusion.