Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/2534465.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Graphic_Depictions_Of_Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
  Category:
      M/M
  Fandom:
      Ao_no_Exorcist_|_Blue_Exorcist
  Relationship:
      Amaimon/Mephisto_Pheles, Amaimon/Okumura_Rin, Okumura_Rin_&_Mephisto
      Pheles
  Character:
      Cram_Class, Demons_-_Character
  Additional Tags:
      AmaimonxRin, RinxAmaimon, Amaimon_x_Rin, Rin_x_Amaimon, MephistoxRin,
      RinxMephisto, Mephisto_x_Rin, Rin_x_Mephisto, AmaimonxMephisto,
      MephistoxAmaimon, Amaimon_x_Mephisto, Mephisto_x_Amaimon, ao_no_exorcist
      -_Freeform, Hardly_Capable_an_Entity, Fiddlehoo, Rape, build-up, i_have
      to_tempt_you_in_unrelated_sex_so_you_keep_reading
  Stats:
      Published: 2014-10-30 Updated: 2015-07-10 Chapters: 4/? Words: 30546
****** Hardly Capable an Entity ******
by Fiddlehoo
Summary
     Hi, over the time it's taking me to write this, I've been growing and
     becoming more familiar with the characters. So, as the chapters go
     on, you may find they begin to act less over-the-top. I'll see if I
     can go back and edit earlier chapters at some point, but I'm having a
     tough time getting back into this particular fanfiction.
     Thanks for hanging in there with me!
     ______________________________________________________________________________________
     A quirky demon is unleashed to destroy expensive property, and Rin
     must ask for the assistance of Mephisto. Instead, he finds himself
     caught in a perverse game of power and mental stability, as he and
     the Cram students work at the Farmer's Market to repay the town's
     porcelain.
Notes
     I'm telling you all right now, this story is complete shit. Read at
     your own risk.
***** Chapter 1 *****
            Rin held the textbook away from him, and then brought it closer,
turning it to the side to match the tilt of his head. He then laid it on the
desk and stared down at it, before too long, he started lowering his face to
push the pages through the table.
            "What are you doing," asked Yukio from the front, who had been
observing his odd behaviour for the passed five minutes.
            "I'm trying to make learning more interesting." Rin watched the
text, "What is this book about anyway?"
            "Which of us is currently reading it?"
            "Shouldn't the teacher know what books he assigned his students?"
            Yukio tried to exhale every urge to choke him.
            "Okay, fine." He situated upright, "Aloe, that's easy, that’s like
'ah, low,' like 'ah! A demons coming, get low!'"
            "Geez," grunted Ryuuji from a ways back.
            "Chamomile, well that’s like," he paused. "'Camel's been walking
for a mile!' All right, got it. Mint. Wow, mint's a healing herb? Okay, lets
see here, 'got a min'? I really need a teh.' Wow, that's difficult, okay, 'ah,
demons coming, get low!' 'Camel walking a mile!' 'Got a min, need a teh,'"he
laughed himself to the desk top.
            "You are disrupting class," said Yukio. "You're supposed to be
silently reading."
            "Hey, I'm helping everyone here!"
            "I can't concentrate with you screaming," Ryuuji begged to differ.
            "Yeah, really noisy," called the pink bloke next to him.
            "Oh, whatever," Rin hissed. "Why don't you quit wasting time and
start studying like you're supposed to, Suguro, Shima?"
            "I'll kill you," Ryuuji came to a stand, an alarmed squeak rose
from the chair.
            "Remain seated," said the teacher. "Rin, sit properly and keep
quiet."
            "Fine," he laid the book out again and began reading to himself.
After a while he began whistling with no particular tune in mind.
            "Rin," reminded Yukio.
            "I'm practicing my demon calling, you can’t blame me for that!"
            "You are not calling demons, you're whistling."
            "You don't know what calls demons." He started a different melody
anyway, which is to say he began howling in high tones, noises of which not
even the most revolting animal would favour, just to annoy them it seemed.
            Soon after, shooting out from the floor appeared a ghostly demon
responding in similar melody. A green glow painted his entire being, sprinkling
the students with a faint hue. He looked to be a middle-aged man, narrow
features and balding, he kept poor care of himself at that, his servant attire
floating just above their heads.
            "You called for me?" His voice vibrated off the props of the room,
and continued to long after he'd quieted. Between certain objects, it would
become louder for whatever reason, as though the frames and calendars had
grasped the voice and threw it back and forth in frenzy to break one another.
            "Oh, shit," shrieked Rin from his front row seat of the thing.
            The demon sang out once again before he spoke, "Even now you mock
my work, do you?" He whipped against the walls on his trip round the class,
moulding the furnishings into a catastrophe towards the centre as he vanished
through the ceiling. Tables and shelves slammed together as papers and loose
articles thrashed about, leaving the students in a pile. Coming out of shock,
Yukio found he had been pulled forward, and taking note of his now pulsing
forehead, he had probably smacked into what was once Rin's table. He knew it
must've been some sort of shelf, but he situated his glasses anyway, thankful
they were still on his face, to find it was indeed the bookshelf from the back
of the class.
            "The fuck was that," Ryuuji shouted from his desk, now resting upon
Shiemi's at an angle. Beside him dangled somebody's feet.
            "Is everybody okay?" Yukio stood for a head count.
            "No, what a mess!" The puppet cried and directed his anger at Rin,
"If you had just been doing your work instead of being a complete jackass! What
is your damage, you bastard?"
            "Would you watch your mouth," Rin cried back from somewhere inside,
"I know that's not the puppet!"
            "He's right you know, if you weren't such a short wired prick!"
Ryuuji attempted to climb down from the stack.
            "Is everybody okay," repeated the teacher.
            "Other than the fact that I'm almost entirely upside down and
metres above the ground," Izumo caught her breath. "Not only that, if anyone
were to move at all this whole thing would crash down and I would be impaled!"
            "I'm out," Ryuuji assured them as he landed.
            "How could you be so stupid," Izumo raised her tone, "I could have
died! Does that even make sense to you?"
            "Nobody’s dying," hollered Renzou, who had been trying not to move
from the position he'd been granted at the top. "Here, give me your hand!"
            "Don't touch me!" She smacked him and regained balance.
            "Guys, we gotta track down that demon!" Rin scrambled to get out,
loosening the weaves of table legs and shelves.
            "Don't do that," Renzou waved down at him. "Let the highest go
first!"
            Konekomaru climbed out and tried to watch the impact of his weight
on the desks, "Ryuuji and I can start to chase him and depending on whether we
find the demon, we can call you lot and inform you of our whereabouts!"
            "Good call, good call!" Rin's head stuck out from between chairs.
            As soon as the boy got his feet on the ground, he and Ryuuji ran
out the room. The teacher went round holding the mountain for people to escape
safely, co-working with others inside to maintain balance. Renzou tried to
slide down a combination of filing cabinets and upturned chairs, getting the
backside of his belt caught on an uneven surface and pulling the heap down with
him.
 
            Meanwhile, the other two had already exited the cram school, and
were then witnessing a string of green light swirl towards the academy. The
green reflected on low hovering clouds of rain, which was how they were able to
spot the demon.
            "It looks like he's heading for the classrooms," stated Konekomaru.
            "Yeah, I hope that doesn't become a problem."
            "Did you catch what he was wearing? It looked to me like he was
portraying some kind of house servant."
            "I did notice that! Maybe if we stuck with that theme, we would be
able to get rid of it faster." Ryuuji led them back inside to use a key for one
of the academy doors. Upon arrival, they ran in to one of the main halls,
nearly colliding with a huddle of other students, and predicted where the thing
might've gone from there. However, they didn't need to search far; for the
demon was actually straight down that same hall.
            "Why?" The servant sang as he shoved porcelain pots over.
            "Oh, that's not good," Konekomaru grabbed his neck at the thought
of their punishment, or what should be Rin's.
            Students screamed and turned their attention to the bits on the
floor. The priests had everyone vacate the hall until janitors arrived, at that
point they continued after the monster. Numerous pots were destroyed then
after, and once they got close enough to the servant-clothed demon, he ducked
beneath the floor.
            Ryuuji answered a call, "He's headed for the cafeteria! Don't let
him break anything else!"

                                           ----
            "Well yeah," Rin turned round and entered the cafeteria with
Shiemi. They had also used a key as soon as they'd escaped, though they ended
up one floor down.
            "Idiot," the servant threw tables at the kitchen doors.
            "Hey, woohoo! Over here!"
            The servant spun round to his summoner, glaring across the vastness
of dining furniture and chandeliers.
            "Why're you breaking things, are you upset with your master or
something?"
            "Ho," the servant shrieked. "No respect!" He soared through the
ceiling.
            "Gadnabbit," Rin turned tail and ran smack into Konekomaru. "Oh
sorry, the demon went upstairs!"
            "What," he fastened his glasses, "We better split up if this is
going to keep happening."
            "I'll go upstairs with Shiemi," Rin took off.
            "Were in the same groups!" Ryuuji called after him.
           
            "Come on, we can't let anyone know he's here!" Rin skipped steps
and coordinated which room the servant would be in.
            "Right," said Shiemi as they entered a large classroom.
            "You unruly child!" The servant hollered.
            Rin looked about for students, "You won't get away this time!" He
ran at the demon to slash through his side, but just before they met up, the
servant seeped beneath him.
            "Dang it!"
            "Should we call Ryuuji?" A familiar appeared on Shiemi's shoulder.
                                     ----
"There it is," Konekomaru pointed to the ceiling to ready his partner.
            Renzou ran in with Nemu behind them.
            "Trap it," Ryuuji got on his knees to commence a prayer shield,
following did Konekomaru.
            "Woah, he's bigger than I remember!" Renzou considered the wider
space of these classes, calculating how grand the beast would be, as he stepped
back in fear.
            "Trap me? You foul bloods!" The servant sprang upstairs once again.
           
                                     ----
"No, he went downstairs again," Rin said from the mobile.
            "Have someone hold him there!" Yukio took Izumo downstairs, "Where
are you, in a classroom?"
            "Ah, there he is!"
            "Hold him there!" Yukio took Izumo back upstairs, "Rin, do you here
me?"
                                     ----
            "Be careful Shima!" Konekomaru broke the prayer for a minute as he
concentrated too much on what was about to happen. The servant had shown itself
once again from the cafeteria ceiling.
            "I'm just gonna whack it," Renzou encouraged himself.
            "Idiots," mocked the puppet. "That won't work!"
            "Surely," agreed the servant, raising a table.
            "Shima!" He interrupted both their holds on the demon, allowing
Ryuuji to open his eyes and panic as well.
            With an incredible amount on force, the servant was able to toss
the object from one end of the room to the other with one arm. Renzou dove
aside to safety as Ryuuji was running up to grab him, now standing in the midst
of oncoming traffic. Meanwhile, the servant made his escape.
                                     ----
"For goodness sake grab him!" Yukio shouted, now in the same room as Rin.
            A hive of vines closed round the demon to keep him occupied.
            "I got him," Rin leaped at the servant.
            "Never," blared the beast. "You dare, y-you dare?" A green coloured
spray coated the vines, disintegrating them in a heap of vapour.
            "What, acid?" Rin hopped away from it, letting the demon leap in to
the air.
            "Acid?" The servant shrieked, "I might've known!" He flew through
the wall in anguish.
            "There he goes," Rin sprinted out the class.
            "Be aware of the acid," Yukio told them as they chased.
            The demon ignored the hall completely and sailed straight out the
windows, spiraling his way to the city.
            "Oh no," Izumo held her familiars back who hadn't been able to help
in any way besides appear intimidating.
            "Contact the others," Yukio stopped at a key bearing door and had
it open downtown for them.
            "Ryuuji," Rin said after he'd gone back for his mobile.
                                     ----
            "He is not okay," squawked Konekomaru.
            "What do you mean he's not okay?" Rin shouted from the phone.
            "A table came at him, he is not okay!"
            "I knew this would happen!" The puppet grunted, "You brats get hurt
all the time! Whose going to believe a table attacked him, huh, who?"
            "That's pretty curious coming from the guy who threw the table at
him!" Renzou pushed the kid.
            "Do you see this puppet master? He can't lift a table! You'd have
better luck explaining why one of you is a demon himself!"
            "All right," Rin shouted through the phone. "The demon literally
went to town, so we're going after it! Have you got everything under control?
Well, I know you don't, but do you think you can get everything under control?"
            "Don't tempt me, idiot!"
            "Into town?" Renzou took the mobile from Konekomaru, "Thousands of
people are down there! What are you gonna do?"
                                     ----
            "I think we're gonna catch him." Rin stashed the device and
continued through the streets,     "Something happened to Ryuuji so they're
staying behind!"
            Yukio ran upstream alongside, "Well, so much for a barrier."
            "We could corner it long enough for Rin or Sensei to attack." Izumo
kept her voice low amongst the crowd.
            A blast of powder and ceramics came hurling out a shop window.
Passers by shouted and gasped at the sight, forming a crowd. The high-pitched
beckons arrived soon after, sending Rin off in to the swarm.
            "Stalking me," suggested the servant between broken shelves. "As if
you don't trust me, I might've known!" His drapes swept new clouds in to the
air as he left, blocking Rin's vision.
            The exorcist departed through a heap of clouds in time to be caught
at the scene of the crime, still coughing and barely able to see.
            "Sir, come out from the shop and get on your stomach!"
            "What, me?" Rin remembered the kurikara, "Oh sheista!"
            "Drop the weapon!"
            "I didn't do it, I was trying to stop the guy who did!" He sealed
the sword as the men gasped at his vanishing flames.
            "What is it, a demi?" They asked each other.
            "Excuse me," Yukio broke through. "Gentlemen, he's with me."
            Rin watched the various reactions as they were shown the license,
their faces contorted with disgust, or horror, or whatever it was. The boy felt
his stomach pinch from the other side of that narration, standing in the
aftermath of what he'd started.
            "Good then, apologies, sir." The head called.
            The owner of the shop climbed atop the wreckage of shelves, "Help
me! There's been a terrible earthquake!"
            Rin exchanged company with the men and led his brother up the
street.
            "Izumo and Shiemi went after the demon to stall," said Yukio. "I
was told he already destroyed one more pottery shop and an antique shop."
            A nearing cloud of a familiar pastel colour caught their attention
further up the road, a second herd of bodies swarming the entrance. Yukio
looked back at the guards, wondering whether they would notice, and hopefully
they would with all these civilians about. As they left their recent situation
to hurry over, communicating with other squads through radio, it became clear
they had indeed.
            "Is he after something traditional?" Rin glanced to Yukio,
emphasising the creativity of his idea. By then, Yukio had already turned to
face up the hill again.
            "That's what I'm trying to understand." Yukio ran to Izumo's side.
            "It's inside the tea house," she said. "They're evacuating this bit
of the city."
            "All right, that's useful."
            "Where's Shiemi," Rin interrupted.
            "Inside, she's out of her mind!"
            Rin entered the building before she could finish, "Shiemi?"
 
            She faced the echo from the dining area, "Rin, don't come in here!"
            "Are you okay?" It replied.
            "I'm fine, don't come in!"
            "It's Master," said the servant. "That rude, worthless boy!"
            "We'd like to help you, if that's okay."
            "Ho," the servant screeched as Shiemi covered her ears. "That's the
last time you try to fool me! Why are you blocking your ears?"
            "I'm sorry!"
            "You are not!" The demon saw Rin from the corner of his eye, "You!
I knew it, I knew it!"
            "Shiemi, come on!" Rin reeled her in and ducked behind a column
just as another sweep of acid splattered about.
            "He's upset about something, I think we can help him!"
            "I don't think he wants to be helped," shouted Rin.
            "No, he does, he's just scared!"
            "Well, what is it he wants?"
            The demon swooped beside them, his enormity crunched in a kneeling
position to match their heights, Rin screaming and struggling to his feet. The
demon spat rounds of green after them as he breezed down the walkway.
            "We want to help you," Rin tried to say as they ran ahead.
            "No you don't!"
            "Yes we do!"
            "No you don't," the demon spat.
 
            Yukio shot at the servant's head, timing when it would show up
again from behind the divider. Round the end of it came Rin and Shiemi with the
enraged beast, scraping at the walls to move faster, close behind.
            "Don't shoot," they waved.
            Their teacher noticed the closing jaws round Rin's head and was
quick to reach in and jerk him downward. His brother instinctively took off to
the side, grabbing the blonde along the way. As the servant clamped upon what
was once his master, Yukio plunged below its robes, evading the situation
behind him, which happened to involve bashing into numerous rows of tables.
            A wave of tableware and cuisine smashed along the floor as
furniture was flipped and carried all the way back to the windows, slicing
about four in one blow and landing amongst the pond life outside.
            "Oh, geez," Rin got to his feet whether or not he was ready to see
the damage.
            "Quickly, while it's down!" Izumo had snuck in as soon as shots
were fired.
            "No, don't make him angry," Rin accompanied her as fast he could.
            "We don't have a choice, Rin!" Yukio helped Shiemi up.
            "Fools," screamed the servant. "All of you!" He went round and
broke every other window while he was at it.
            "That was technically your fault, because we told you we were going
to help you, but you chased us anyway!" Rin darted round the house, trying to
keep up.
            "I know what you are, you do not want to help me!" The demon
stopped and soared over to Rin, "Just because you hate it;" he dumped acid onto
him and made a getaway across the river.
            "Ahh!" Rin flung his arms, "I'm... melting!" He looked at himself,
"Well one good thing about being a demon... Wait, this is pickle juice!"
            "What?" Yukio recovered from the demon's grand exit and inspected
the drips on his brother's skin.
            "I'm telling you," Rin sucked on his shirt. "It's fricken pickle
juice!"
            "Do you think maybe he worked in a garden?" Izumo regained balance.
            "An old, traditional garden with lots of ceramics?" Rin inputted.
            "Wait, we all know he's a servant now, right?"
            "Yeah, that's what I thought," said Rin.
            "That doesn't add up, ceramics and gardening," said Yukio. "Anyway,
we're going to have to exorcise him if he doesn't want to be stopped."
            "No, there's gotta be a way."
            "That's right," said Shiemi from the floor.
            "He told me I didn't like it and puked on me. He must be sensitive
about the pickle juice."
            "Why is he so on about breaking traditional things," asked Izumo.
            "We could track him down and find all this out. But we better hurry
before he reaches a bit of the city that hasn't been cleared yet. We could get
in trouble for that. Why isn't anyone else on the case? It's not like we were
sent to do this!"
            "In any case, it was you who summoned him." Yukio shouted, "Don't
you feel at all responsible?"
            "Hey, I didn't come up with some excuse to stay behind, I actually
came out here to catch the demon! Or did you forget I was the first one to run
in after the ceramics shop was blown up?"
            "Do not blame Ryuuji for his accident!"
            "Whatever, I'm off to get what I came for!" Rin ran to the window
and leaped to the edge of the water. Following along the bank he was steered
back to town. Unable to spot the servant, he decided he would keep going until
something else blew up. Before too long, he turned off in to an older portion
of the city beyond the evacuated area. Buildings were tighter and streets
narrower, but maybe he could calm the demon down enough that he wouldn't make
any serious damages.
            Rin answered his mobile, "Shima?"
            "Hey, just wanted to let you know Ryuuji's gonna be fine."
            "Oh good, so you can help us with the demon?"
            "Uh, not exactly. See," he grunted, "We're being held responsible
for the pots."
            "What, that's stupid, you weren't even there!"
            "Yeah we were, Ryuuji and Konekomaru were witnesses."
            "You guys must have some kick butt eyesight, cos I know for a fact
you were back at the school when that happened."
            Renzou paused, "No, there were pots the demon broke at the school
way before you and me were out of the classroom!"
            "Well shoot, why are they upset with you? That was only Ryuuji and
Konekomaru, wasn't it?"
            "As fate would have it, I'm considered company, they got Nemu here
too."
            "That sucks, dude." Rin dashed by a clearing between houses and
spotted an odd looking gravesite. "Oh, what?" He went back to check it out.
            "I said I'm company and so is-"
            "No, no, I found a grave. I'm gonna call you back."
            Rin hung up and knelt to read the text behind the crumbled pot.
 
Tea Maker
 
            "Aw, why'd you have to have a pot by your grave? Don't you know
there's a demon out here?"
            "Rin,"cried Shiemi from a ways off.
            "Look what he's done. He really wants to hurt people's feelings,
whatever he's trying to do."
            "Hoo, hoo, hooo.." The demon appeared above the grave in a smoke of
green, "Hurting feelings? How cruel of me to do, after you had destroyed mine!"
            "I'm sorry but it was your fault!"
            "I hardly think I control your taste!"
            "What, about the pickle juice?" Rin stared up at him.
            "I am no fool!"
            "So is that a yes?"
            "You banished me, I am no servant!"
            "That's right," Shiemi perked up. "Rin, he thinks you're his
reincarnated master!"
            "Shiemi," Yukio joined their party with Izumo. "Rin, wha-"
            "Me?" His eyes expanded, "Oh yeah, I signaled him back at the
school! Okay, demon, I am your master. I order you to stop breaking ceramics!"
            "No, I hate you!"
            "I un-banish you, you're my servant again!
            "How could you," the demon screeched to the skies while the lot of
them ducked in attempt to save their hearing.
            "No, don't hold your ears," Shiemi warned them.
            "I'm about to go deaf from this experience!" Izumo withstood the
insufferable pitch with the rest of them.
            "Stop shouting!" Rin held out his arms, "Your work in the garden
gathering pickles and turning them to juice is appreciated, but I don't need
you to work anymore; you're free!"
            "I have never worked with the garden! You terrible child"
            "I mean, your pickle juice is great, but I don't need it; you're
free!"
            "You've always hated my tea, calling it such things as pickles!"
            "Tea, you're a tea maker?" Rin looked to Shiemi who was looking at
the grave, directing himself to look at the grave. Straight away he looked to
the demon.
            "This is your burial sight?" He shouted, "Is that why you're
breaking pots, because someone broke yours? Was it your master," he corrected
himself, "Me?
            "Izumo, Shiemi," Yukio took steps back, "Help me find something to
paste this pot back together. Rin will you be okay?"
            "I don't know; I'd like to do some terrible things to the master
myself."
            "Will you be able to divert the topic?"
            "Yeah, I got this, go on, go on!"
            Yukio returned downtown with the girls.
            "You don't remember much," the Servant frowned.
            "I've been reincarnated many times," said Rin. "So, you make tea?"
            "Of course I do. I've been blending tea my entire life. I've even
come up with my own assortments."
            "Ah, it's coming back to me now."
 
            The three of them hurried in to shop upon shop, searching for some
kind of ceramic paste. They left their money at the counters with every bottle
or container they could find that looked suitable and carried their findings
uphill once again. By that time, Rin was seated on the ground across from the
demon and was listening to some sort of tale about squash. Izumo held the
drying bits together while Shiemi fastened the fragments given to her from
Yukio, and they all worked to get the job done fairly quick before Rin had a
chance to do something senseless.
            "Well, I am all about new ideas... Oh look, a brand new pot!"
            The Servant took one look at it and dropped his fist straight over
the top, smashing it to tads.
            "What the heck," screamed Rin.
            "Mr. Tea Maker, we mended it for you to help you." Sheimi said,
Izumo sighing beside her.
            "I don't want that mended; I'm keeping true to my thoughts then,
even if Master is tolerable in this new state."
            "Is there something your master can do for you now to help you
pass?" Izumo held the ends of her skirt to occupy her nerves.
            "Wait," Rin scooted round. "Is he saying he broke his own pot?"
            "What I truly want is for Master to experience the flavour of my
most beloved blend of vegetables. It revolted you years ago, but you say you've
changed?"
            "Hold on, could those vegetables be pickles?" Rin interrupted.
            "Pickles are fruits," replied the servant. "Cucumbers are
vegetables."
            "That's not even a thing, you're thinking of tomatoes being
fruits."
            "Very well, tomatoes and pickles are fruits."
            "No, pickles are pickled cucumbers. So, they're vegetables."
            "I thought you had changed!" The servant screamed.
            "Oh yes, I have changed many times," Rin nodded.
            The demon brought forth a cup of green tea and handed it down to
his master, the boy took it and glanced about is viewers.
            "And this will help you cross over for sure?" Rin saved face, "I
ask because I care."
            "I would assume so, as you made such a fuss over it then..."
            Rin inhaled the concoction by mistake, whipping his nose to the
side that same instant. Suddenly aware of the matter, he faked a sneeze.
            "That was close, I almost got it in the tea," He said, faking a
side note.
            The juice was downed in as few gulps possible, Izumo stood above
him incase he thought to pull anything.
            "Drink the stems," she scolded.
            "Uhg, that's so nasty." Rin whimpered under his breath.
            "You've got to drink all of it..."
            "That's not even part of the tea!"
            "Do it!"
            Rin tipped the cup to have the stems and warts fall to his mouth,
he chewed the rubbish and shook his head until they passed his throat.
            "God," he returned the cup. "That was some blend!"
            "Master has approved of my greatest creation! I may now cross." The
Tea Maker hovered to his headstone, cup at his chest and loose trousers
smacking his legs. Gusts of wind began to blow out from him as if he'd been
filled with air, while students handled any free objects to restrain them,
their hair and clothes reaching for distant places.
            From then on, the breeze was becoming so strong they had to close
their eyes, and mouth if that was a problem, even breathing became difficult.
Then, just as they figured the worst had yet to come, the wind quit. They
looked about the site for the Tea Maker.
            "Is he gone then?" Yukio gathered the bits of pot.
            "Yeah," Rin jumped to his feet. "We did it!"
            "It was no evil demon after all." Izumo brushed her attire down.
            "That was pretty cool," said Rin. "I got to be a master of a tea
servant for a little while."       His eyes widened at once, "Oh shoot! I gotta
call Shima back!"
                                     ----
            "Yeah, hello?" Renzou answered from the lobby.
            "We got the spirit taken care of. See, he was an old tea maker and
he made pickle juice for his master, who he thought was me cos I," He rambled
on.
            "Is that the brat?"
            "They handled the demon problem, it was actually a spirit with
pickles and a master." Renzou stopped running.
            "No," said Rin. "You got it all wrong!"
            "We left Konekomaru and Ryuuji at the infirmary to come help."
            "Oh, sorry. I guess I should've called you sooner. Anyway, we're
heading back to school now and Yukio contacted Patrol. You know they have this
whole section of the city blocked off-"
            "You shouldn't have let this spin so out of control that Patrol had
to get involved!" The puppet shouted at the phone.
            "Don't get me started," it replied.
            "Hey, hey," Renzou separated the two. "So that's great. Lets meet
up at the infirmary. Ryuuji's awake now, so you can ask him what you want or
whatever."
            "Oh yeah, I'm curious as to what happened." There was a pause, "No
wait, lets meet in town; we have to clean the streets." There was another
pause, "What do you mean paperwork? We solved the problem, get over it!"
            "Should you call me back?"
            "We'll see you guys at the infirmary," Rin hung up.
 
 
            Amaimon chewed his fingernails on the ceiling.
            "Porcelain," the white suited demon groaned from his chair below,
probably rubbing the bridge of his nose.
            "The entire east hall," he went on.
            "Aren't you insured?"
            Mephisto glowered upward and said in a manner of fact "Eins, zwei,
drei."
            His grip diminished and he was sent crashing to the floor, head at
his brother's boots.
            "You are just like them." The demon rested his heel at the neck of
his new foot stand, making sure to grind it in a bit, "How long have those
porcelain figures been standing? To think all it took was the correct yelp."
Mephisto looked to the side, "You summoned a spirit, eh?"
            "It isn't really about the porcelain," Amaimon turned his head to
have it rest on one cheek.
            "What would you know?"
            "Our targets are similar. I know this, I have known this."
            "Supposing our plans of attack are also this way," Mephisto
chortled in his throat. The foot stand was side kicked square on the nose
after.
            "Ow," it sat up.
            "Let's see now, what will you do?" He pulled Amaimon in, locking
him between his knees. "Confess, receive no returning thought whatsoever. Then,
you will beg, or maybe even force it, depending on your situation."
            "I have it easy; barely a background nor existence. But what will
you do?"
            "I take pleasure in games," he bit his captives lip and held on as
it leaned away.
 
            "Mephisto?" Rin came in the office.
            "Son of a bitch." Not so much worried, rather he would have to
finish with Amaimon later.
            "Rin!" Amaimon gargled with his mouth full, not only due to
Mephisto's fingers which propped it open.
            Mephisto scooted back until his head poked round the side of his
desk, "Uh, what do you want?"
            "Are you under the desk?" He began to walk up, skirting the table
and chairs.
            "Stop right there! Turn around!"
            "What are you doing?"
            "Turn around or I will expel you from this school!"
            "Okay, okay," he whipped round and put his hands up.
            Mephisto fixed everything from the waist up and stood a bit, "What
is it already?"
            "Can I, at least, know what you're doing?"
            "I lost a valuable marble, what does it matter to you? Didn't you
come here for something?"
            "I mean, was it on the ceiling? Cos it looked like you were laying
down!"
            "Shut up, just tell me what you want!" Mephisto slammed the desk.
            "Okay, chill, chill, I just need some money to pay for all the pots
and furniture and antiques the spirit broke in town!"
            "In town? That's no skin off my nose. And get out before you step
on something else I lost."
            "Do you realise how clean this floor is? I don't see anything like
that!"
            "Get out!"
            "But the money! Each medium sized porcelain pot is at least 300,000
yen, right?"
            "Sounds like you'll need a lot of money! Better get on that real
quick."
            "Wait, if I help you find your marble will you pay for the pots and
stuff?"
            "Are you kidding- don't turn around!"
            "What are you doing? You're not even looking anymore!"
            "Maybe I didn't drop it after all! Ever thought about that? And
besides, one marble isn't worth what you've got yourself into!"
            "Come on, be a pal! I'll wash your windows! I'll make a storage
closet for all of your marbles!"
            Amaimon attempted to speak with his tongue caught between his
brother's gloved claws, "Tell him to sleep with me!"
            "What?"
            "Woah," Rin slowed his thoughts. "Is someone else down there with
you?"
            "It's only a doll, it-"
            "Woah, are you messing around with one of those people dolls? Like
a legitimate life size-"
            "It's one half of a meter tall and isn't even worth that kind of
time from me. In all honesty, I would prefer to do you before I ever do the
doll."
            "Well, lets not get personal or anything..."
            "Stop turning around! And put your hands back up!"
            "Geez, it's like a house arrest!" Rin threw his arms in the air.
            "You know perfectly well what I meant. Now I said I wouldn't loan
you the money so be on your way!"
            "No," choked Amaimon. "Tell him or I stand."
            "You shoosh," he tightened his grip.
            "Are you interacting with it? Does it do that? That's cool!"
            "Aren't you in the middle of leaving?"
            "Please, I said I would do anything!" Rin begged the ceiling.
            "Fuck me," Amaimon barked.
            "Holy shi- cow, was that the doll?"
            Mephisto pointed a finger, "Stop turning around, you useless
creature!"
            "Hey, it's your doll, don't get upset at me!"
            "You'd better start facing that door if you want to live to
tomorrow, and you, you pesky doll, shut your malfunctioning mouth!" He twisted
his hold on his brother.
            "Auh..."
            "It's not the dolls fault, you probobly wired it weird just so it
would talk to you like that!" Rin remembered to face the door.
            "Is that any way to talk to the person from whom you're asking a
favour?"
            "What, you're not giving me the money anyway!"
            "Arg, you know what, I'm getting rid of you myself-"
            Amaimon stood while Mephisto's guard was down, "Rin."
            "It knows my name?"
            Mephisto fought to get the doll back down.
            "What doesn't that thing know?"
            "It doesn't know anything at all, don't you understand?" He
wrestled it to the ground.
            "Are you two in a barney right now?" Rin leaned over to try to see
behind the desk.
            "It's very difficult to open the battery compartment!" He paralysed
Amaimon for the time being and came to a full stand, adjusting his trousers.
            Rin spun on his heel real fast as the Chairman shouted, "I saw
that! How many times- Do you ever listen?"
            "Just give me the money, I'm begging you here!"
            "For fuck sake!" He smirked under the rim of his hand, "All right,
Rin, do the naughty with Amaimon."
            "Where the Hell did that come from?"
            "Ah, ah, you do this and I'll give you every yen."
            "Why would you do this to me? I need your help!"
            Amaimon swallowed from the carpet, trying to calculate Mephisto's
plan.
            "No love no money, that's how we're going to work this."
            "No way! You've gone completely- hey, you've lost your marbles
alright!"
            "That's poor, and don't divert the conversation."
            "I said no!" Rin made an effort to shout behind himself.
            "Think of all those pots, Rin."
            "Oh, now you're interested in the pots?"
            "Take it or leave it. Or do you want to let your city down? If we
trace this crime scene all the way back to it's root, it was you who let that
spirit free, wasn't it?"
            "This is some sort of blackmail and I want no part in it!"
            "That's a good boy, just keep walking."
            "You're a load of shit! " Rin stared across the room to mock him
before slamming the doors.
            "You let him get away." Amaimon paused, the situation waving in his
face now, "You panicked purposely."
            "Oh please, that needed a miracle to go any better." He returned to
his captive's side on the floor, adjusting him to lay upright in his lap.
            He tried to figure why Mephisto would show his underbelly to Rin?
"You know what this means, don't you?"
            "There will be no further interruption?" Mephisto curled his
fingers round the other's neck, licking his lips.
            "Yukio is going to get involved."
            "Yukio has enough sense not to come in here after what Rin probably
did. Now, do what you're not so good at apparently and keep quiet."
            "I can keep quiet." He said between kisses, "I can keep this a
secret of ours if you get us together."
            "What secret? This never happened, and you don't exist."
            "A doll that asked to be taken, really?"
            "I can bare with a punctured ego, it's the yen I can't lose. The
precious currency of Japan," he sparkled.
            "I can't look at you."
            Mephisto directed the revolving chin to face him once again,
"Finish what you start, O, brother mine."
 
 
            Amaimon came through the wall of Rin's dorm room and located the
sleeping boy in an instant. The boy was sleeping with his eyes open, no less.
He slinked to the bed, wearing one of Mephisto's kimonos. Rin twitched his
fingers and rolled towards the edge, tail flicking behind. Eyes glazed in a
pink radiance, the intruder watched him, and then looked to see what that
irritating glow was. To his surprise, it was a flower shaped nightlight. After
a moment, he gaped down at Rin again, who scratched his back and resituated.
            Getting comfortable, Rin's awareness of his surroundings came to
just a bit before going back to- "Wha- hey, geez! How did you get in here?" He
backed against the wall.
            Amaimon shrugged.
            "Don't play that with me! Get the frick out of my room!" He climbed
to his feet and got the locked door, "Did you come through the window? Oh wait,
you probobly teleported or some shit!"
            The intruder stepped into the entry and bit Rin's lip.
            "What the fuck?" He shoved the demon and retrieved his sword,
lighting the room with a new colour. "Alright, you wanna get your butt whipped
do ya?"
            "That might be pleasurable."
            "You fucking sick bastard! Get the hell out of here!" He swung the
weapon about as Amaimon jumped to the bed.
            "Hold up, is this about the money? Is he seriously going to give it
to me if I... do you?"
            "Hell if I know. Probably."
            "He's pulling my leg right? You're not really gonna do it are you?"
            Amaimon shrugged, "I mean, I came all this way."
            "Yeah well, teleport your ass back to where you came from, cos this
'aint happening." He added, "and get off my bed!"
            "That's a nice nightlight you've got there."
            Rin blushed, "It was a gift. It keeps- well, it was supposed to
keep evil away! What a load of false advertising!"
            "Ever thought," he stopped, and started over. "Or maybe I'm not so
evil."
            "I said don't play with me, weirdo!"
            "I could do that properly if you'd just come here, maybe you'll
like it."
            "Get out already! I've got a test tomorrow!"
            "Think you can pay all those antiques on your own?"
            "That's none of your business, creep! Geez, what, is my life a soap
to you guys or something? You can't just play with people like that!"
            "Rin..."
            "Yeah, what?"
            "I want you inside me."
            "My ass!"
            "Whatever you prefer."
            "Get the fuck out of here!" Rin took a swing as the demon scooted
back, taking a slice off his face.
            "Ow."
            "Oh here, let me see it," he came close enough to take Amaimon by
the arm and pulled him off the bed by force, kicking him to the door then
after.
            "Get lost, freak! That's the last time I'm telling you!"
            Amaimon got off his face, spun on his knees, and sat. "To tell you
the truth, I'm only doing this to get back at Mephisto. Well, it's one of the
reasons. See, this is his beloved, limited edition, Spring Girl manga something
cosplay."
            "And you want to ruin it or..?"
            "I won't get in to details."
            "That's fine, cos I was just about to go back to sleep. God, what
time is it?"
            Amaimon got up and tried to nuzzle up to him.
            "Hey," he pointed the kurikara. "You better be getting up to use
the door!"
            "Once. That's all I need."
            "Okay look, you've got revenge needs I've got passing my fricken
test needs. Why don't we call it even and leave it?"
            "Neither of us gets what we want."
            "I never said that."
            "We both know you couldn't pass a test with the answers on it."
            "Dude," Rin sighed, "just get out of my room."
            "Okay," he used the door.
            "Fuck!" Rin locked it, "I really should stop cussing... Sweet
sukiyaki!" He put the sword away, and got in to bed, "It can't be that easy.
He's coming back." He and the flower exchanged glances for a moment before Rin
unplugged it, tossing it in one of his lower bedside drawers. He got
comfortable on his sheets and waited in the dark; apparently it wasn't any more
hazardous.
           
            Yukio entered the dorm as quiet he could and felt about to have the
furniture guide him to the bed.
            "What you looking for?"
            Yukio jumped a bit, "You're up late," he flicked the lights.
            "It's kind of hard to sleep when people are trying to shag you.
Didn't you see Amaimon just now?"
            "What are you on about?"
            "Amaimon just came in looking for a pawn."
            "That's odd. Oh wait, what did he want exactly?"
            "He's taking revenge or some fricken thing, I don't know. Why don't
you ask him when he comes back?"
            "Hmm," Yukio dressed down, "Never mind then. Well, they accepted
the paperwork. We're all going to agree the whole thing was an earthquake."
            "Make sure you give that shop owner credit."
            "It was a pretty good analogy. So, we have to rest for class
tomorrow. Did you study the chapter?
            "A little late for that now doncha think?"
            "When will you start taking these things seriously?" Yukio tuckered
down.
            "Hey, you're the brain, I'm the brawn. That's why there's two of
us."
            "Would you just get some sleep?"
            "Can't, I'm in the middle of saving your butt. Maybe literally."
            "What is wrong with you, honestly? Get the lights..."
            "Fine, get raped. See if I care." Rin hit the lights and wobbled to
his post.
 
            Amaimon seeped through the wall once again after Rin had fallen
asleep waiting. It was dark now, he must've rid of the nightlight. Sleeves
falling from his shoulders, Amaimon made a slow, fluid motion to straddle the
boy as he snorted in his sleep. He touched Rin's face, tracing the scape of his
nose and lips.
            "Hmm," he brushed the hand away."
            "Rin..." The demon rolled his prey's shirt up until his pecks
peeked out.
            The boy attempted to push the vanishing cloth back down, waking
himself in the process.
            "Ah!" Rin threw an unconscious fist.
            Yukio rustled in the background.
            "Oh, Yukio's here." Amaimon peered across the room.
            "Get off me!"
            "Shh, don't wake your brother."
            "What do I care? He already knows you were coming back!"
            "What he actually knows is you were delusional, and I was never
here to begin with, nor am I here now."
            "What sort of bollocks is that?"
            "You understand I'm the Earth King, and may blend with my
surroundings if I so choose? A defense mechanism of many mammals."
            "Oh yeah? What are you getting at, huh?"
            "I guess I'll have to show you," the demon went transparent,
clothes and all, yet his weight was still apparent on Rin's abdomen.
            "Well, you understand that I am also a demon and can do stupid
tricks too? Like completely catch fire? I don't think any animal does that,
but..."
            The figure pinched his nipples.
            "Stop it!" Rin grabbed at the hands but melted straight through.
"What? That's stupid, that makes no sense!"
            "Are you ready, Rin?"
            The captive set himself ablaze, hoping to hear a scream or
something, but when nothing came after, he wriggled under the mass to make an
escape.
            "Don't make me paralyse you."
            "Oh crap," Rin felt his body grow heavy. "Oh crap. Okay, don't
paralyse me, or anything, I want to be able to walk again, have a heart! You're
a nice guy!"
            "Don't wake your brother," he reminded.
            "What has this got to do with revenge anyway? Can't you ruin the
kimono yourself?"
            "Rin," a hand cupped his mouth. "I want our genes saturated in it."
            "You're an idiot."
            Something messed with his shorts and got the elastic off his skin,
at immediate haste, Rin held the gap together. The cloth tugged and swerved
round his pelvis as he tussled to keep it on.
            "Rin, stop it," the figure giggled.
            "Quit acting like this is some game, butt head! You're trying to
rape me!"
            "Bid your limbs adieu then," he reached behind Rin's neck.
            "Yeah right," Rin slammed his head against the mattress. "What do
you need me for, there are hundreds of demon students here!"
            "I'm down to my last set of patience. I'd like you to know that for
future reference."
            "Well if everything isn't about you now."
            He tried again, summoning Rin's hands which tried to grab at him,
When all else failed the boy twisted to the side and sat up as best he could,
he kept his neck barricaded along the wall.
            "Dude, I said no!"
            Yukio turned to his side.
            "Would you get out of here, you're disturbing my brother!"
            A fist came at his jaw, leaving him in a bit of a daze. It
persisted until he was horizontal as before, but he was still guarding his
neck. As he suspected would happen, digits wrapped round his wrists and
attempted to pry them away, his opposing force kept them stuck for a moment
until he was bashed in the head. Feeling uneasy and something rushing to his
nose, it was all he could do to weave his fingers to knots. The figure lifted
the barrier with ease and pinched a nerve, sending a jolt down Rin's spine.
            "Ah, wait!" The boy mumbled, "Damn it, Amaimon! Yukio, call the
hospital!"
            "It's temporary."
            Regaining feeling in his mouth, Rin continued. "You stay outta
this! Yukio, wake up!"
            Rin's hands were taken and used to free his loins.
            "Huh, what?" His brother groaned.
            Rin watched himself prop a foot up and pull one of the boxer legs
off, the band snapped into place against his free thigh.
            "Nothing, go back to sleep!"
            Amaimon reappeared, half way to Rin's lips, for which he was spat
on. The demon smoothed the saliva against his cheek as he purred and licked his
fingers. He laid his hands on Rin and pushed up to his pecks, circling the edge
of his nails round the peaks, they cuddled Amaimon's lips as he parted and
sucked.
            "S-stop..." He could only feel the sensation of sinking into the
bed.
            Coming away, he brought his captive's hands to his hips and had
them tuck behind the kimono, letting Rin feel his backend. The demon aligned
their fingers and drove a couple into his pucker, curling and rocking them
about. He hung his mouth and gasped while the audience quavered at the very
thought. Rin squeezed his eyes shut and tried to think of other things or force
himself to sleep or something. His open hand came round the front to take
authority of Amaimon's base, his clutch milking just above the sack.
            "Mmm," his eyes fought to stay open. "That's the spot..."
            "When I get my limbs back, there will be no mercy for you, you hear
me?"
            Amaimon's shaft jumped in his hand. "I love the way you talk to
me."
            Rin tried to set himself on fire again but ended up giving himself
a bright head guard, at which the other chuckled.
            "Damn it, I don't care anymore! Yukio, wake up!"
            "What is it," he groaned in his sleep.
            "Wake up and help me! I'm paralysed!"
            Yukio sat up in a heap of sheets and reached for his glasses.
"What?"
            "It's Amaimon! He's on top of me, I can't move!"
            Yukio rummaged for the torch in one of his bed cabinets and shined
it on his brother, finding him belly up and pleasuring himself.
            "Rin! What are you doing? Is this funny to you?"
            "I'm not doing this," he gestured for Yukio to come closer.
"Amaimon's got me paralysed and he's using me like a puppet!" He grabbed
himself and bit a finger.
            "Are you insane?"
            "He's right here! He turned himself invisible! I don't know what to
do!"
            "Wake yourself up!"
            "I'm awake!" Rin plugged his nose, "You gotta help me!"
            Yukio bat his brother's head, "Rin?"
            He tried to shake his head, "I'm awake, Yukio!" He then proceeded
to chase the fingers gripping his nose, attempting to bite at them.
            "What do you want me to do, call a priest?"
            "No," Rin shrieked. "Don't let them see me like this! C-call
Mephisto!" Rin slapped himself a few rounds and shoved his palms in his mouth.
            Yukio found his device and contacted the Chairman just before
something came at him, sending it to the floor somewhere.
            "Look out!"
            He ran for his weapons and replaced them with the torch, holding
for the figure to strike once more.
            "He's by the phone," Rin sensed the creature.
            Yukio fired where he last saw the device.
            "He's on the wall!" Shots went off, "He's coming up behind you!"
More rounds, "Yukio!"
            He heard a noise that sounded like smacking flesh. "Rin, are you
okay?" He kept turning.
            "I'm bleeding out, but I'm fine. Get the mobile!"
            Yukio switched a gun for the torch and scanned the room, finding
the thing under a table. Arms thrusting about, he chopped his way to it and
made sure the message was sent.
            "Okay, hold on!"
            "Oh, wait," Rin twitched his toes. "I can feel my legs again!" He
lifted his arm to wipe his nose but it crashed down on him like he'd never
raised his arm before.
            "Where is he now?"
            Rin sniffed the air and glared at the furniture about him. "I think
he left..."
            "How do we deal with him if he comes back?"
            Mephisto came through the door, curiously fast, "What seems to be
the problem at this hour?"
            Rin scraped at his skin until they slipped under his boxers,
pulling the elastic over himself and holding them there, attempting to look
casual.
            "Rin says Amaimon came in and paralysed him. He also says Amaimon
turned himself invisible?"
            "That's right, and he tried to use me! I don't want your money-
" Rin caught himself, "I mean, it's not like that, right? I'm not a thief, why
is Amaimon trying to scare me out of doing something?"
Yukio tried to follow the situation his brother had explained.             "Oh
my, my," Mephisto got a whiff of the matter. "Apologies, boys. This will not
happen again. You see, he's messing with things he shouldn't and that's really
all there is to it, I mean, you understand his current state?"
            "I've understood enough! I just want to sleep and not have to worry
about people I can't see!" Rin had his chin facing up to keep the blood inside.
            "It won't happen again, you have my promise."
            The two expressed their gratitude and exchanged farewells as he
left through the portal. Yukio opened the first aide kit and took care of Rin's
nose, offering to listen or talk over the situation if Rin needed it.
 
 
            "Brother!"
            "Save your breath," Mephisto forced his kin's bound arms higher
along their back, threatening to dislocate the shoulders.
            "Ah! Ahh!"
            "I told them I would punish you, it's merely a perk for my part."
            Amaimon panted and cried out as throbbing pains began to pile at
his collar.
            "That was cocky of you, actually. Not to mention you stole from my
wardrobe. What else are you scheming, then, hmm?"
            He huffed, "Brother!"
            "Now, now, don't simply reveal yourself; let's keep to proper
etiquette. I do mean that physically as well."
            He dripped on Mephisto's back, neck resting on his shoulder.
Sitting on his calves, he had his toes curled between his brother's legs. An
iron arm kept their stomachs together and prevented any lifting as to relieve
the pain.
            Mephisto had his eyes locked on the development assaulting his
stomach. "The first regulation is taking affect, and it is indispensible you
conform: Chimeras return to stone after sundown."
            "Not all," he swallowed. "Circumvention is easy- Ah!"
            A second development arrived the moment Amaimon bit down. "If it
pains you, why not counteract?" He brushed his cheek along his brother's ear.
            "Giving in is for the mortal," Amaimon smashed their loins
together.
            "What suits you best is familiarity, I'm afraid."
            "Expulsion..." He swallowed, "please, brother!"
            "Cutting sentences short for mercy," Mephisto closed his eyes. "You
are quite like them. Still, it's not my place to grant respect."
            "Please," he bellowed.
            "Maybe a transaction would do you better."
            There was a pause. "Fine!"
            Mephisto released his arms, now swollen and bruised. His brother
huddled in the space between them as he sighed and ached throughout his upper
back.
            "Expulsion," Amaimon continued as the other gripped his hind.
"That's your next obstacle."
            "Don't you think I recognise my own territory?" He pulled the
opening apart and continued to play with it, scrubbing round the rim with a
single digit time and again, ripping nerves and having Amaimon tell him so.
            "Just the perimeter of it," his recent enthusiast cushioned a
temple on his chest for balance. "There are many of things working against you,
if you remember."
            "Possibly," teased Mephisto. "But so long as I recognise how to
toil the system..." He punctured a sensitive morsel of skin as he wandered and
attacked it with the rest of his fingers, chewing and scraping at it while
Amaimon gulped and begged as he strained to sit harder on them.
            "It remains in my favour," continued Mephisto.
 
 
***** Chapter 2 *****
            Yukio woke to Rin's alarm. He readied himself for lessons and
grunted as Rin hit the snooze. A few minutes later, Yukio's alarm sound incase
Rin's hadn't done the job. He left it on until his brother decided to walk
across the floor and mute it himself. Rin had his back hunched over his knees
in a daze, puzzling whether to walk back to bed. Instead he made himself
comfortable in Yukio's.
            "Rin, get up..."
            Something scratched at one of their windows.
            "I'm pretty sure I only got, like, three hours of sleep, that was
stupid!"
            "I'm sorry, but we've got to go. Could you get the window before
you leave?"
            "Get the window? What if somebody robs us?" He rubbed his face.
            "Your cat is trying to come in."
            "Kuro!" He sprang to his feet to let him in, "Kuro's not a cat,
he's like the brother I never had."
            "I'm tempted to discontinue setting a second clock for you."
            "I can't pass that test!" He dressed in a hurry with Kuro on his
shoulders somewhere, "Yukio, tell me where you keep the answers!"
            "Like I'd tell you something like that."
            Rin gathered his things, "Whatever, I've got all day to study for
it."
            "During your other classes? Are you really that stupid?"
            "Everybody calls me stupid, words hurt you know!"
            "They have a reason to, titles aren't simply assigned to people
without reason."
            "At least be creative about it. I could be the
dumbasstwofacednogood-" He slammed the door behind him as he left.
            Yukio followed him to class.
            Rin's back developed a strange itch and tickling sensation that
lasted throughout classes. Many of times he had to control his laughter, which
wasn't all that particular except from being spontaneous, but it gained
attention anyway and classmates held their stares for long periods of time as
if they couldn't believe what they were seeing. Some others laughed along with
him, or at him. At the best of times, the itching would subside. During such
instances he tried to study the book about healing herbs without falling
asleep, and not only because he was tired.
            It was later at the Cram School, while investigating what could be
hiding under his clothes, when he realised it was Kuro trapped beneath his
buttoned shirt and jacket. He kept him on his desk as the class worked on the
test, keeping him quiet and pushing his paws away when he batted his face.
            "Stop it, Kuro!" He whispered, "Okay, let's see, let's see. Get
low, that was Aloe, wasn't it?" He grunted, "But where'd I get the ah sound
from? How could I forget this, I learnt it yesterday!"
            Kuro batted his face, "Did you seriously forget I was on your
shoulder?"
            "Stop it, I need to focus! Okay, all right. Get low! There's a
demon! What the heck, it was so easy! How could I forget? Okay, skip that one.
Camels tired, got a min? No, it was like, something camel and mile..."
            Kuro stood in shock, "I can't believe you went all that time
without once thinking I could be suffocating in your shirt..."
            At once, the answer came back to him, "Chamomile!"
            "Rin," Yukio hushed.
            "Sorry," he tried to grab Kuro as he saw a paw closing in. "Okay,
let's go back now. Get low... Uhg," he pulled his face. "What would I make
that? Holy crap, get low!" He let that stew for a moment. "Nope, " he moved on
to the next question.
            "Where's the way out," Kuro cried. "I need to get out!"
            "Hold on, I'm getting close. All right, this one was funny, so I
gotta remember this one... Got a min'? I need a teh!" He laughed as it came
back to him. Not long after that, the brother he never had peed on his paper.
            "Kuro!"
            The class looked over, and he leaned in to hide his answers real
quick seeing as everyone was becoming quite the cheater. Yukio attempted to
swallow his laughter and gave him a new sheet. Down to the last bits of class,
he struggled to remember what his reminders were, while the others finished and
left. At some point, Kuro was let out, leaving Rin to fend for himself.
            Once he'd filled all the blanks and returned his paper, he waited
for Yukio to pack, and they joined everyone in the infirmary. They devised
ideas of how to earn enough money for the porcelain, as well as everything else
that had been destroyed in town, as it became a heavily suggested topic.
            "There's going to be a farmers market nearby for the end of this
month," said Ryuuji. "We could get our own tent and start a fund raiser."
            "Yeah," Rin smiled, "We could each do our own thing!"
            "That's not what I'm saying."
            "I could cook for people and they'd buy something and donate at the
same time!"
            "Okay," Ryuuji gave up.
            Konekomaru looked to Rin, "Wouldn't that be counterproductive, with
all the ingredients you'd have to buy?"
            "No, it's good! See, cos then, they'd be getting something in
return, like a thank you!"
            "That's pretty neat." Renzou inputted, "I could sell some of my old
clothes or something."
            "That's gross," said Izumo.
            "How do you get a tent?" Shiemi looked about at everyone.
            They carried on conversing of the various ideas until late that
night. About time people started falling asleep, they concluded they would
start up again on Sunday, or more accurately whenever they were to wake up.
 
            It was in the afternoon when they regrouped, after trickling one
after the other in to the infirmary, depending on what might've occurred last
night and how easy it might've been to get up. They exchanged thoughts and
scheduled the proper dates and times for their tent, going off when the lot, or
most, of them would be available. The puppet ridiculed for the entirety of the
day, which left a few pondering whether it would be best to keep Nemu out of
this all together.
            "I've got a noodle recipe we could use," shouted Rin. "It's really
good!"
            "Woe," Renzou held his hands out. "Slow down, you're gonna make the
rest of us look bad!"
            Konekomaru asked what sort of thing he could do, to which Rin
suggested he help out in the kitchen. Stating such a thing brought Ryuuji and
select others to argue whether an elaborate scene was necessary and how they
were to transport these items to and from the market, nevertheless Rin had
explanations for just about anything, forget logistics.
            "How are we going to fit all this in one tent?" Izumo took notes,
seeing as no one else would.
            "I thought we would have three," said Rin.
            "Three?" Ryuuji bellowed, "Since when were you making all the
decisions yourself?"
            "She's right, we're never going to fit a whole table, a stand, and
stir-fry equipment in only one tent," inputted Rin.
            "Who says we've got to do any of that?"
            While the two of them fought, Renzou worked with the rest to come
up with enough clothes for his first idea. In all, there was only going to be
enough for a small profit. Once the boys stopped their argument, he asked for
their input as well.
            "There are too many things happening at once!" Ryuuji chopped his
palm.
            "If we were to have multiple tents, we would be too spread out for
a formal fundraising atmosphere," said Yukio.
            "This is all true." Rin got everyone's attention, "I say we start
placing our tents now before anyone can take our spot."
            "Do any of you even own a tent," added Renzou.
            The arguments started up once again, everyone seemed to be fighting
for a different cause. Where would the tent be, what sort of supplies should
someone bring, how many tents are there all together, could everyone bring at
least one shirt? Izumo quieted their brawl as she clapped and called out.
            "If what I'm hearing is correct, we should only need three tents."
            "Three is too many," said Yukio.
            "No, no it's not." Rin tapped his brother, "If we get our names
down now, there should still be plenty of openings."
            "Is anyone considering the cost of all this?" Konekomaru had
realised only just then, but hopefully one of the others had been paying better
attention, though he was more along the lines of doubting it.
            "That's a laugh," mocked the puppet. "You kids actually believe you
can pull this off. Have you been paying any attention to your teamwork ethics
so far?"
            Ryuuji crossed his arms on the infirmary bed.
            "Forget you," said Rin. "We'll figure this out."
 
            Of course, there were already registered applicants at that time,
and plucking stations close enough to one another had become challenging. By
the end of the month, and the start of the spring market, they were only able
to fit two tents where desirable; the other was farther along the street
somewhere, but they would manage. Renzou was given the 'old clothes tent' as he
requested, which neighboured Shiemi's flower tent, the sides had been blocked
with curtains along with the backs, giving the impression they shared one large
shop. Renzou and Izumo had gathered hangers and clothes from their houses when
they had the chance, while Shiemi brought plants from her garden that seemed
ready.
            Rin's food stand, however, was crammed between two others in a
friendly competition, or so he thought. The sides of their tents were wide
open, exhibiting a continuous hall of various food kitchens. Though barriers
were manually placed at the ground between tents, this set up still brought
intimidation and bursting adrenaline for the two Cram Class students. Yukio, on
the other hand, was too engaged shaking his head at this whole predicament to
feel nervous in the least. They'd gathered enough material for a stove, which
they positioned in the centre of the booth; a long ice bin to keep the
vegetables cold; and few tables for preparing ingredients. All the dry elements
remained in shopping bags. Rin would've preferred to make the noodles from
scratch, but the others had convinced him it would've taken too much time.
            Konekomaru glanced either way at their rival chefs from the
register. He'd been stationed at the head, atop a short stand to better reach
the consumer and the row of hanging characters of which titled their tent.
            "Miwa, Yukio, you two can advertise for our stand right?"
            "I think so," Konekomaru turned round on the platform. "I just yell
out your specialty, right?"
            "Yeah, but you've also got to get their attention. Don't worry,
I'll scream and stuff from back here."
            "I'll mention the fundraiser actually." He gave this some thought,
"We may be able to earn donations simply by mentioning our cause."
            "Oh, you're right."
            "You know, just in case the huge donation jar isn't enough to
convince them."
            Rin started a laugh.
            "Well," said Yukio after returning from his thoughts. "I guess
being spread out was best, seeing as a food stand wouldn't exactly flatter a
clothing booth."
            "Forget about it." Rin suggested, "We'll do just fine."
            "I'll do my best," said Konekomaru.
            Rin started cooking as soon as possible to keep up with the other
two chefs, tossing herbs and sauces in a pan almost subconsciously.
            Between Shiemi and Renzou, a bit of space was kept open for
Ryuuji's share, which he used as a dance floor to perform popular routines of
Korean pop groups. He set his mobile up with an adequate speaker and scrolled
through online playlists.
            "What are you doing," Izumo watched him as she folded clothes.
            "Chicks love this crap, I know what I'm doing."
            "What is it, American R&B?" Renzou peered through hanging shirts.
            "South Korean choreography."
            "You think you can pull that off?"
            "That sounds fun," Shiemi closed in.
            "I've been studying dances at the infirmary," he assured them,
"I've thought long and hard about this, and I'm pretty sure I know what I'm
doing."
            "Well, hats off to you, man." Renzou mocked.
            As the morning went on, an increasing amount of elders started to
arrive and wander the stretch. They mainly kept in the farming district, hoping
to find fresh produce and homemade crafts. The tent across Shiemi's displayed
colourful, metal wind ornaments of both organic and animal shapes. They twirled
in the wind from the roof of their tent, flashing the sun every now and again.
They became quite popular with the crowds, diverting people from the Cram
students.
            Ryuuji studied the dances a little more before his audience would
make their appearance. Izumo was also working to make their presentation of
tents as appealing as their competitor across the street. Renzou was having
difficulties seeing with all the reflected light hitting his eyes.
            Someone finally spotted their fundraiser sign and made an effort to
find something they liked, glancing round the flower display at their feet.
Shiemi introduced the customer to her arrangements and made them aware of how
to treat each one. To really prove herself to her friends, Shiemi went on about
the meaning behind each flower and what sort of impact they had on others in
the same bouquet, though she couldn't help seeming a bit desperate and clumsy.
But the elder was patient, and decided to purchase a bundle of tulips and
wisteria, much to the seller's appreciation. After two hours of setting up
shop, the Cram Class earned their first donation. If they were going to pay for
all those porcelain pots, they were going to need to work harder.
            By then it was midday, and the raging crowds were swarming the food
stands. Konekomaru didn't need to do much of anything except work the register,
as the smells of their stand drew enough costumers on its own. Rival chefs
shouted louder to advertise their menu, competing with Rin's food and
background music both. Lines curved down the pavement as they began to grow too
long, skirting the bustling crowds and nearly caving in on surrounding shops.
Despite the chaos brought upon Rin to cook for everyone himself, he was
determined to have a great time. After thinking about what Yukio had said the
day before, he admitted this was his entire fault, and so strove to mend his
actions.
            "We can't take any more orders," Yukio turned to his brother. "How
much longer until the next batch?"
            "Um," Rin stirred as fast he could, taking on more than he could
handle.
            "It's not so bad, Rin." Konekomaru jumped off the stand to help
him. "Here, what can I do to speed up production?"
            Rin's voice was frantic, "Um, Okay, dump all the noodles in and
we'll make one giant batch!"
            "Right," Konekomaru fetched the supplies from their storage outfits
at the side, while Rin cleaned out the pan and delivered the next orders. They
worked to stir the dried noodles and grill vegetables at the same time; Rin
running round to add more ingredients to the wok and karaage while Konekomaru
stirred, and Konekomaru racing to tend to the meat as Rin tossed vegetables.
Yukio did his best to occupy the crowd with a fundraiser promoting speech.
            The donation jar had filled up quick, and the crowd had showed no
signs of letting up whatsoever, but everything went smoothly as long as they
had a strategy for possible events: What they would do if something had burnt;
if someone had a complaint about the spices; how to deal with the following
orders if someone had skipped the grilled meat, leaving them with
disproportions in supplies. Yukio kept the two from panicking, particularly
Rin, as they flew passed each other.
            On return from the ice bin, Konekomaru informed them of their two
remaining bags of produce. Rin turned a horrified eye to Yukio from his squat
at the wok, Konekomaru following suit.
            "Yukio, quick, go buy some more vegetables!"
            "Should I?" He said aloud, their hungry customers waiting behind
him.
            "I'll go," Konekomaru threw words together as fast he could. "I've
been saving up, I'll hurry back to the shop from before!"
            "No, wait," Rin did the same. "I know a closer shop, it's maybe a
few kilometres from here!"
            "Oh yeah, I know that shop!"
            "The one with the pink stand outs-"
            "Yeah," Konekomaru answered as soon as he could.
            "Yeah!"
            Yukio stopped him from leaving, "Hold on now, lets figure out how
much we need and whether we'll be needing anything else."
            He and Konekomaru took stock while Rin offered more orders. From
the back of the booth, which was to say two steps from Rin, the two estimated
how many packages they'd gone through so far and how many they would need to
last to the end of the day.
            "Rin, can you handle this on your own?" Yukio readied to leave.
            "What," he squawked, "You're both leaving?"
            "Never mind, I'll go alone. Try not to lose control of things."
            "I can't let you pay for all of it yourself," Konekomaru insisted.
            "It's fine, really. I should've done more to help anyway."
            "Yeah, honestly!" Rin stirred, "Hurry back so you can be useless
some more!"
            Yukio disregarded the opening of an argument and hurried to the
shop, trying to remember where he'd seen a pink stand.
            In the mean time, as no one was in a hurry to buy anything, Renzou
had fetched everyone snacks. They ate in silence as they stood about and waited
for another customer. Shiemi managed to sell five more products than Renzou and
Izumo, and they had only vended one shirt. Ryuuji let the music finish without
him for extra background noise, hoping to catch someone's attention.
 
            The market carried on to 17:00, when the concession stands started
closing up shop. On the Cram students' first return to the dorms with most of
their equipment, they gathered their donations and calculated about 15,680 yen.
They tried not to feel discouraged as they came to find they had only earned
enough to pay for 5 pots. There was a period of reassurance and support for
their efforts; particularly Ryuuji who'd received numerous scowls for his
dancing.
            "We'll do better next time, now that we know what we're in for."
Konekomaru rested on his knees.
            Izumo stated, "We had a difficult time selling anything."
            "Maybe Ryuuji scared them off," Said Renzou.
            "I'll try a different dance group."
            "You were dancing?" Rin jumped, "I want to see that, that sounds
cool!"
            "Piss off, so you can make fun of me?"
            "No, no, you're really getting into this, I like it."
            "Easy for you to say, you probably used some kind of demon magic
considering how much food you were able to sell!"
            "Magic? We worked hard for those donations!"
            "Who makes 15,680 yen at a farmer's market?"
            Yukio interrupted, "You need to consider the population of the
market, the quality of your product, and the demand, Ryuuji. This amount isn't
unheard of."
            "Yeah," said Rin, "and what are you so sore about? The sooner we
can pay off those pots, the more free time you'll have. Anyway I thought you'd
want me to work the hardest since this was my fault."
            Renzou helped state the facts, "You're just upset cos your dancing
wasn't as successful as you'd originally planned."
            "We can argue later," said Izumo. "Half of our things are still in
town."
 
            Amaimon floated down to Rin's dorm window after the sun had set,
the moon reflecting on the glass next to his reflection. He had spent the day
below, amongst other malicious creatures and beings, though he would've liked
to see Rin sooner.
            "Chimaras return to stone after sundown..." He pondered the
consequences if he were to enter the room anyway, going back on his word, and
cheating his rival. But Mephisto was playing a devious hand already, pretending
to be vulnerable and making an attempt at fulfilling Amaimon's plan. Could it
be he was setting himself up for a much greater event?
            Amaimon seeped through the window, preparing to strengthen his own
technique. Hopefully Mephisto wouldn't find out.
            "Rin," he said beside the boy.
            The only response was a long snore.
            "Rin."
            The sleeping demi whipped his tail a bit, subconsciously responding
to his name.
            "Rin," Amaimon flattened his eyes in tedium.
            "Hmm," he answered in his sleep.
            "I want you to know the money has nothing to do with this."
            A long snore replied.
            "Rin."
            "What," he rolled on to his back and rubbed his eyes.
            "The money has nothing to do with this."
            "I know you hate me," Rin mumbled. "But we gotta work together..."
            "Sorry?"
            "I'm trying really hard for you, Ryuuji. And all you do is
complain."
            "Rin, wake up."
            "I'm awake," he stretched his arms above his head and planted them
there, exposing his clothed chest, his face cradled in his long sleeves.
            Amaimon felt his groin twitch, "What did I say?"
            "You said the money isn't enough or something."
            "The money has nothing to do with it."
            "Yeah, yeah." He confirmed that was indeed what he'd heard.
            Amaimon restrained himself from jumping in to bed with him.
            "Go back to sleep," Rin creased his brow at the figure as if
deciphering whether it was really there.
            "Could you move over first?"
            "You've got your own bed," Rin opened his eyes more. "Yukio?"
            Amaimon stood and started walking to the bed across the way,
pretending to be Yukio. He glanced back at Rin only to see he had dropped the
subject, head back in his pillow. The demon returned to the bedside.
            "Rin?"
            No response followed.
            Amaimon swallowed and weighed his options. If he got in the bed,
there would be an extremely high chance of him waking up and causing a fuss. He
would inform Mephisto. But this could be their only time together anyway,
bearing in mind the amount of time wasted below the surface.
            The demon crawled on to the bed at an awkwardly slow degree, moving
all the way to the wall before resting beside his half-brother. The boy's body
rose and fell to his breathing, while his mouth was parted a bit, sighing in to
the air. His eyes weren't moving, suggesting he could easily be disturbed.
Amaimon left him to reacquaint with his dream before trying anything more.
            It wasn't too long before Rin's eyes began to dart to the sides,
his limbs twitching time and again in correspondence with his visual. Amaimon
stroked the boy's cheek with his knuckles, testing his theory. After a moment
of waiting, he continued to fondle Rin in his sleep. He set a gentle grip on
the boy's chin, rising to his lips with a firmer grasp, squeezing the lower
half until it puckered off his teeth. Amaimon relaxed his hold and followed the
current of skin leading him in to Rin's mouth, dabbing his tongue. He circled
it a moment before bringing the sample to his own mouth, sucking his finger in
tension.
            He dragged his finger down Rin's neck and tried to enter the shirt
through the collar. The demon cupped anything he could reach, continuously
filling his hand with skin, as he tried to feed himself through other means. He
slid into Rin's sleeve and felt round his lifted arm, ducking into his armpit
in search for more genetic material. He bathed his palm in the crevasse, hoping
to activate a sweat gland.
            Rin jerked at the touch and clenched his arm against his body,
waking himself in a startled yelp. Amaimon took his hand back and went
invisible as a first thought.
            "What the heck was that?" He stared about the dark round him,
looking for a bug or something. He could feel a presence coming from beside him
but figured it must've been the wall. As the sense became irritatingly
persistent, he turned to look at it anyway. It was only the wall, though
something was weighing down on the bed beside him. He sensed it was bigger than
kuro, rather it -disturbingly- took the weight of someone his same size.
            "Amaimon?"
            The room went quiet once again.
            "Oh shit," he got off his bed and went to go stand by Yukio. Fixing
his twisted shirt, he remembered Yukio using a device to call Mephisto and
began searching for that instead. He found the thing stashed in a drawer under
his brother's desk, and struggled to determine how it worked.
            Standing in the open room, fiddling with an alarm late at night, it
appeared to Rin he might've been jumping to conclusions. The bed had a slight
sink to it but only because he'd been using it half the night, in a few hours
it would expand again as any normal bed would. What's more, the presence he was
feeling must've been the wall, because at that point he couldn't feel a thing.
The device was returned to Yukio's desk, and Rin was brought back to his bed.
 
            Lessons went on as usual, and after Cram Class had finished, the
students came together for a game plan.
            "We've got to come up with something that'll actually sell," stated
Izumo.
            "I mean," Renzou scratched his head, "I could, maybe, find jeans?"
            "No, what I'm saying is we need products with character."
            "In that case, I could stick white stripes round the thighs, I hear
that's in now in South Korea."
            "Why is everybody obsessed with Korea?" Izumo looked to the
bouncing girl beside her.
            Shiemi added, "I could also sell herbal and floral soaps."
            "Good idea," Konekomaru said, "A wider range of merchandise would
definitely benefit your donation revenue."
            "Was I the only one who didn't turn into a marketing genius
overnight?" Rin smoothed the dark circles of his eyes.
            "Maybe we need a website," said Yukio. "We could start a donation
there, and pass out flyers at the market."
            "That limits our population a bit," Konekomaru thought aloud.
            "You're right. We could promote our website at school as well."
            "What about posters?" Ryuuji said from a chair, "Or Newspapers, or
Magazines?"
            "Hoardings!" Rin shouted, "Notice boards! Open mike at shopping
centres!"
            "I agree with Rin on notice boards," said Shima.
            "I like the idea of posters," Izumo looked to Yukio for a
preference.
            "Well," said the instructor. "I suppose we'll split up and make
advertisements about the school. Oh, hold on actually. Let me confirm this with
the Chairman."
 
            Amaimon materialised down the hall from Rin, who seemed to be
engaged pinning flyers to an academy noticeboard. He snuck up behind the boy
and grabbed his shoulders.
            "UAH! Watch it, I'm ticklish," He turned round. "Amaimon!? What are
you doing here? Aren't you prohibited on the campus, or something?"
            "I want you to know, the money has nothing to do with it."
            "The yen Mephisto won't let me borrow?"
            "Forget everything, I'm not interested in any of that. Rather, I
want to get to know you better as a fellow demon."
            "I'm not like you, in fact, I'm mostly human. So get out of my
way." Rin carried on down the hall to the next noticeboard.
            "Don't be upset, I'm serious. I'd really like to start a better
relationship."
            "Does Mephisto know you're down here?"
            Ryuuji called from ahead, "Hey, how many flyers did you put on that
one?"
            "Yeah well, you assaulted me, remember?" Rin looked up.
            "What?" His friend questioned whether to clean his ears.
            Rin glanced behind him to see if Amaimon was still there and
whether Ryuuji could see him and if he'd have to make up some kind of- and he'd
disappeared...
            "You talking to yourself?" Ryuuji came over.
            "Ah, yeah. It helps me remember the questions people ask me but I
don't hear cos I can't stop interrupting them with my talking to myself."
            "How many flyers did you post on that last noticeboard?"
            "Three. There were a lot of other papers so I just filled in the
blanks."
            "Idiot, waste of paper."
            "How subtle of you. Look, I'll go get the extras, its no big deal."
            Amaimon returned to Rin's side where they'd met earlier, giving the
other another start, though he'd prepared himself considering Amaimon would've
reappeared eventually.
            "What do you want? I said get lost!"
            "Let me love you, Rin."
            "Never! Someone like you doesn't deserve any kind of companion,
even if they're total fuckups. And what'd you expect me to say after what you
pulled that night?"
            Amaimon shrugged, "Honestly, can't we let that go?"
            "You're a pig, you know that?" Rin walked down the hall, "And I
take high offence to that remark; humans have feelings. Humans have very
sensitive feelings!"
            "Geez," Ryuuji sighed.
            Rin looked back at Amaimon who had disappeared again.
            "You keep looking back like someone's stalking you, it's wigging me
out."
 
            The next market had come and Rin's food stand was still top demand.
Shima came to help that day, seeing as their tent required more supervisors
than his own, which they were appreciative of. Yukio set everyone up with an
individual task so to avoid running about as last time.
            "Okay," said Rin from the wok. "I need some more noodles over
here!"
            Shima ran to the cook's aide.
            From the back of the stand, Mr Pheles popped in with an everyday
outfit, fairly modest, and fairly out of character. It was his attire that
caught the Cram students off guard, thinking he was a customer of some sort.
            Konekomaru jumped, "Mr Faust?"
            "Good morning, students. I see you've got quite the assembly being
carried out, very good."
            Rin ducked his head as he stirred.
            "Is there any way I can steal Okumura Rin for a short time? Just a
few quick things, and then I'll be off to explore the market."
            "Sorry," said Shima, "He's really important for the process, he's
actually the only one cooking at the moment and-"
            "Can't one of you do that?" Mr Pheles had a lazy grin on.
            "Only Rin knows the recipe for his dish, I'm afraid," stated Yukio
from the register.
            "I mean," Konekomaru spoke, "We could try to replicate it, if it's
urgent."
            "Yes, do that." Mr Pheles waited for the lot to exchange roles, and
Rin went out the tent with the Chairman.
            "That's quite the setup in there, I would say I'm proud, but this
is all due to your little mistake a while back."
            Rin moaned, "Please don't tell me this is about the money..."
            "Well no, I'm more or less passed that at this point, at least the
damage will be mended in the end. So, on to the main event, Okumura-kun; how
are you feeling now days?"
            The boy relaxed his shoulders, "What? What kind of question is
that?"
            "Um," Mr Pheles blinked, "I think it concerns your state of health,
right?"
            "Why would you care, I did this to you, didn't I? Is this part of
your game or something? You know I've got a line waiting for my food-"
            "Goodness, I'm so sorry, Okumura-kun. I've upset you further,
haven't I? My, that won't do, I'll make it up to you."
            "No thanks, I don't want anything! Don't pull that creepy 'nice'
act on me!"
            "What act?" Mr Pheles frowned, "I'm genuinely concerned about you."
            "Yeah right, I've got to go." Rin turned to join his friends when
the demon took his shoulder.
            "They still feel strange around you, don't they?"
            "What?"
            "A demi with a lot of exorcists. It's strange, isn't it?"
            "D-don't say things like that, they're not like that, I mean, they
don't think of me in that way."
            "I'm only suggesting, what do I know? I hope they let you belong,
and feel like one of them. That would be good for you."
            "You're, you're sending mixed messages, and I really do need to go
now."
            Mr Pheles took a stroll backwards until he bumped into a fence,
watching the youngsters a while longer, as he contemplated what he'd done.
Considering the position Rin had brought upon himself, and with the perk of
Amaimon's harassment, the recent conversation had definitely stirred the waters
a bit too much.
            "My mistake," he told himself.
 
 
 
***** Chapter 3 *****
 
           From then on, Yukio would receive calls from Mephisto after each day
at the market. He would report how much they'd earned all together and what
their next plans were, and that was it. To Rin's surprise, it was never about
him, nor about the incident, nor about anything remotely related to games. It
was a bit curious, considering the strange chat Mephisto had with him the other
day. Probably another go at making him feel poorly about himself, one last shot
for good measure it seemed. If Mephisto couldn't get his body, he'd at least
get his dignity, or some shit. Maybe it was over then, maybe that was the last
of the yen business.
            Rin came down the academy hall towards his class. Suguro and Shima
were standing to the side conversing. He went over to the windows to join them,
when he realised they were actually muttering to each other in gossip-worthy
tones,
            "But it's uncomfortable," went Ryuuji, "He doesn't even now what
he's doing half the time."
            Renzou glanced out from behind his friend and spotted Rin coming.
            "Hey, Rin," said he.
            "You think this is uncomfortable?" Rin lowered his brow.
            "I think you're an eavesdropper," corrected Ryuuji.
            "Better I find out before I make an ass of myself! Thanks for the
warning, guys."
            "You weren't part of our conversation-"
            "It's not like you were going to just tell me, is it?"
            "Calm down," Renzou joined in, "you have no idea what we were
talking about, Rin."
            Ryuuji continued, "Our new teacher, he can't focus with so many
eyes on him."
            "Sorry, your teacher?"
            "Mr Takada," said Renzou.
            Rin kept his temper, "That's convenient, right when you need a
scapegoat-"
            "Rin," Ryuuji started a firmer tone, "Calm down."
            The boy went quiet.
            "What's got you so upset," Renzou ignored the nosiness of passing
students.
            "Nothing..."
 
           
            The market crowds were lessening, it was later in the day then.
Konekomaru and Yukio had said very little to their stir-frying group, while
Renzou hadn't said one thing. Back at the meeting spot, they calculated their
earnings, and Yukio reported to Mephisto. Still nothing of the yen Rin had
asked for.
            It was later that night, at the dorm room, when Yukio finally
mentioned anything concerning Rin's state.
            "What is troubling you, Rin? You have us all worried."
            "Doubt it," he was seated on his bed, elbows resting on his jeans.
            Yukio exhaled to his coat as he had it removed. "Is there something
I can do?"
            "I doubt that too."
            "Don't be stubborn, if you're not going to let me help, don't taunt
me with it."
            "I never asked for help."
            "Are you going to change before bed?"
            "I'm not going to bed," said Rin.
            "Come off it, please don't do this..."
            "I'm not," Rin said over, "I'm never sleeping again."
            "Just tell me what's troubling you." Yukio hung his coat and
crossed the room towards him.
            "Nothing is troubling me, I'm just kidding!"
            "Rin," he came to a hault.
            "I'm not a kid, quit trying to act all serious just to get me to
calm down! Is that what you guys think of me, that I'm a kid? I'm immature or
something?"
            Yukio let him rant on.
            "I'm helping you guys, what do you think the market is about?
Aren't I working my ass off to pay those pots back, aren't I fixing my own
problem? Kids don't do that sort of thing; kids cry and blame someone else! I'm
fixing this! Didn't you see me running after that demon with the fucking pickle
juice? I didn't see Izumo running in after Shiemi, if anyone, Izumo is the kid!
She's not even selling anything as far as I'm concerned! Why aren't we all
upset with her? Is it cos she's a girl, has everyone got the hots for Izumo
now?"
            Yukio never removed his eyes from his brother.
            "Suguro and Shima were talking about me, they told me they meant
their new teacher. How many teachers does this school go through? Aren't there
requirements and skills you're supposed to have? Teachers don't just get hired,
especially if the school is for snotty rich people! You'd think they should
know how to talk to students if it's their profession! Isn't that curious? It
is curious! It's not true, that's why! They're tired of me being a jackass."
Rin wiped his face.
            The room went silent for a moment.
            "Well none of that has got anything to do with me; I know I'm
working harder than any of you! I'm not exactly the smartest, but I'm working
harder than any of you! So nothing, nothing is troubling me!"
            "If you say so," Yukio returned to his end of the room.
            Rin put his hands on either side of him, steadying his posture. Had
he mentioned everything? Had his exchange with Mephisto and the yen slipped in
by accident? Was that why Yukio was avoiding him now? What should he say to
clear that up, what would sound casual if he actually hadn't mentioned it?
            "I made most of that up in all my anger," said he.
            "Whatever you say."
            What does that mean, is he in disbelief? Did he or did he not hear
about the Mephisto incident? Maybe he'll forget about it tomorrow... No he
won't. How should the question be brought up?
            "Did I say anything bad about anyone?"
            "You took a whip to Izumo for a minute there."
            "What about Shiemi, or Ryuuji?"
            "You might've mentioned something about Ryuuji, but you left Shiemi
out of it, if I remember. How are you feeling now?"
            "Um, a bit guilty? Was I on about Konekomaru too?"
            "Don't think too hard about it, Rin. Just get some rest."
            Damn it, did he hear anything about Mephisto? Probably not, but one
can never be too paranoid. Rin went over his rant in his head, filtering
through for names. He knew he must've said something about sleep, but he didn't
remember bringing up Amaimon's name. That definitely would've triggered
Mephisto. What else, what else? The market must've been brought up, but had he
told Yukio about their encounter with Mephisto then? He played his speech over
and over until Yukio finally instructed him to get in bed.
 
           
            Shiemi brought herbal soaps and dried flower bookmarks to her
shared booth the next market day. She'd been studying and planning for new
items the passed few days, going off Izumo's statement from before. Ryuuji was
still set on dancing, but he'd upgraded his choice of music to that concerning
-or capable of being converted to, a single dancer. Izumo couldn't find
additional clothes, but she displayed old trinkets and mobile charms she no
longer desired, anything to help the fundraiser. Of course nobody was keeping
track, but their share of the workload had flat lined in contrast to what Rin's
group was making.
            "Okay," started Izumo, "Lets try to sell something today."
            "Piss off," Ryuuji turned round in his pop attire. Fedora, avant
capri trousers, loose necktie, he must've been very dedicated.
            "Nobody forced you to take up dancing."
            "I haven't got any clothes to sell, and do I look like I'd have a
bunch of flowers laying around?"
            "I'm just saying, if you hate it so much why put so much effort
into it?"
            "Who says I hate it?" Ryuuji stuttered, "N-not that I like it! Just
wait for my crowd to come, then we'll start making money."
            "We've been waiting for your crowd for weeks."
            "Only four days each week," inputted Shiemi. "If you think about
it, that's only a short while."
            "Later in the month they'll show themselves, it's still too early,"
said Ryuuji.
            Izumo grunted as their first customer entered the stall, an aged
man with a casual outfit and expensive shoes. He went straight for the herbal
soaps as if they were all he could see; walking straight passed the flamboyant
Ryuuji.
            He asked Shiemi if they were truly organic, wondering if any of his
mentioned products were involved in any way. The girl did her best to convince
him everything she brought was indeed organic, to which the man responded by
informing her of all the labels and tests her soaps would need to pass before
hand, giving her company names to become affiliated with and actual organic
farms she should be working for. Ryuuji and Izumo had to fend him off as Shiemi
became more distressed, providing the man with her vendor paperwork and
certificates.
 
            "I'm sorry," Shiemi bowed to her friends after the man had left.
            "That was inappropriate of him." Izumo crossed her arms in their
huddle.
            "Yeah," Ryuuji held his head. "What kind of asshole pulls that on
an independent farmer? Was he looking for someone to beat on, or something?"
            "That was really weird, don't take what happened personally,
Shiemi."
            "Yes," she kept her hands in front of her.
            "Sorry," a pair of girls stood at the head of the stall, "Is the
mobile on this chair yours?"
            "That's mine," said Ryuuji. "Did you want to hear some music?"
            "I actually wanted to know where you got the case for it."
            Izumo grunted once again.
 
 
            Counting the yen they'd earned earlier, the Cram students stood
round Rin's tent at the end of the day. Konekomaru moved the contents of the
cash register to the donation jar as they went. Surprisingly, they'd made less
than usual.
            "That's unsettling," admitted Yukio.
            "With the market coming to an end," said Izumo, "there's been a
dramatic decrease in customers."
            Shima cried, "Were the noticeboards for naught?"
            "That goes to show how many people really pay attention to those
things," said Ryuuji.
            "Maybe nobody cares," Rin was holding his head from his kneeling
position.
            Konekomaru paced round their camp.
            "We just need to keep trying," suggested Shiemi.
            "Something is off," Yukio had a hand on his chin. "How much did we
have before today?"
            Izumo flipped through her notepad, "We were able to replace eight
of them as of last Tuesday."
            "Why is there only enough for four today?"
            "Four," Rin shrieked, "You mean that's all we've got there, in that
jar? You haven't been stashing the yen after each market?"
            "We've miscounted," said Konekomaru, "Lets start over."
            They reversed their counting method by moving the contents of the
jar to the cash register. In the end they came out with the equivalent of four
porcelain pots.
            "It's official," said Ryuuji, "Someone doesn't want us to have any
free time."
            "It was there earlier, I thought," stated Yukio.
            Shima looked round dramatically to add panic, silently assuming
there was a logical explanation, "What happened between the start and finish of
the market?"
            "You guys hold the money," said Ryuuji, "Which one of you has it?"
            Rin's group unconsciously began eyeing one another before realising
how absurd the idea was that one of them was hiding their earnings.
            "Really," said Yukio, "Why would any of us want to take it for
ourselves?"
            "Not the lot of you," Ryuuji corrected, "Just you and Rin."
            "What," Rin bared his teeth.
            "The money stays at your dorm room, doesn't it? If anyone has the
yen it's one of you two."
            "I knew you thought of me like that!" Rin got to his feet and
nearly jammed his head against Ryuuji's. "By one of you, you mean me! Like I've
got all the yen we earned as a team somewhere in our dorm!"
            "Rin, that's enough," Yukio grabbed his brother's shoulder and
yanked him back to his recent position.
            "I don't have it," Rin hollered.
            "We'll just count it again," Yukio reassured everyone.
 
           
            Mephisto was locking his office when a familiar presence approached
him from above. Pulling the key from the door, he tilted his head to the
ceiling, giving the other demon a bit of his attention.
            "Are you removing yourself?"
            Mephisto opened his smile, "Well, as long as we're being
accessible; yes, I am."
            "Just an icebreaker," confessed Amaimon.
            "Hmm," he began with distaste, "And you, are you removing
yourself?"
            "Well, since the new decree, I haven't been able to spend time with
him."
            Mephisto gave his arms to the space between them, stimulating a
slight tremor through the upturned demon, his eyes widening and lips pinching
in distress. He fought his nerves as they shivered in his lower stomach, trying
not to climb off the wall and float down to Mephisto out of need, though he
did.
            The cloaked demon regained his pride as he swiped his peckish
brother from the air. Bearing in mind it was later in the evening, when he
would've otherwise left by then, Mephisto found it only sensible that they
wouldn't trouble themselves to relocate.
            He tunnelled his teeth into Amaimon's shirt, teasing him through
his tie and buttons. The other grumbled as he pushed away, only to be driven
inward once again from rearward arms.
            The cradled of the two tried to climb out of the other's hold,
wriggling his legs about and attempting to throw his weight off centre. The
irregularity of his movements left Mephisto to throw their huddle to the floor,
crushing his jaw against Amaimon's shoulder.
            "Hng," choked the underling, keeping up his fight regardless.
            Mephisto's hat had taken a tumble from the two, now lying on its
side farther off. Its caretaker started removing his other accessories to match
while the thought had occurred. His brother's breathing had increased all the
while, lessening his resistance as they carried on.
            "Hush," went Mephisto, his coat buttons coming undone.
            The other demon grunted from between the grip of his legs. Mephisto
smoothed his brother's clothed shoulders, curling his fingers round the edges.
Amaimon pushed on him, starting a frustrated scowl.
            "You'll get what you want," sighed Mephisto.
            The lower of the two took heavy breaths.
            "What you really want."
            Amaimon freed a soft moan off to the side, turning his head from
the other.
            "What do you want, then," he continued.
            Amaimon crept a waning eye to the body hovering over him, collar
brushing his cheekbones, and arms out to hold Mephisto away.
            The lower ordered under his breath, "Humour me..."
            "Tell me what you want to hear."
            "As far as meeting up with him-"
            "No," said Mephisto, "This is about you and me now."
            "Humour me, brother."
            "Tell me what you want, leave outside matters alone for the
moment."
            "I want your brain," scoffed Amaimon.
            "Well, unfortunately I'm unable to reach in my ear and bring you my
brain. Wouldn't you like instead to have all those aching swellings touched and
fondled?"
            "Touch me with your brain, your insight and better sense."
            "Flattery is an underside of you." Mephisto looked down at his
brother's upturned belly, still fully clothed.
            Amaimon took his arms back and rubbed where his nipples would be,
"I'm hungry for your brain. Give it to me, I need it right now."
            "Our little game has got a tight grip on you, hasn't it? Even
during our intimate moments you're obsessing over your next move."
            "Aren't you?" Amaimon ran a fingernail along his brother's lip.
            "For the time being," he paused, "I think I'll give myself some
time off. What do you think, will you join me?"
            Amaimon processed the situation carefully. "Hmm, give yourself time
off from him, or give him time off from you?"
            "Quite the talker tonight," smiled Mephisto. "Do you not agree our
relationship deserves proper attention, and well before that of our half-
brother?"
            "You forget I know who the favourite is," Amaimon wrapped his
fingers round his brother's wrists as he gave a toothy frown.
            Mephisto stared down at the demon as if he'd suddenly realised the
actual context of the game. His knees loosened their choke on Amaimon's waist,
and after a moment he spoke once again.
            "Tell me what you want."
            The other tightened his grip, "Brother, I want you."
           
           
            Rin went through all the cupboards and shelves in their room, "It
has got to be here somewhere! Did you put it in a pouch, like a money keeping
pouch, or something, and stash it somewhere just in case someone tried to take
it from the jar?"
            Yukio stood in the centre of the room, flabbergasted, "Where did it
go?"
            "If you didn't touch it, and I didn't touch it, where is it?"
            "The jar sits there," Yukio gestured to the floor under his desk,
playing round the crime scene. "If half of the yen is missing, the culprit
would need to know exactly how much was in the jar originally-"
            "Or they took a handful and got lucky!"
            "But that would also mean the culprit was careful to take just the
right amount, in which case, they would have to sit here and count what they'd
gathered."
            Rin flung open a drawer full of manga and quickly shut it again,
hoping Yukio hadn't noticed. "You know what I think? It was you who took the
money!"
            "Me?"
            "You're acting all cool and smart about it like you understand
exactly how robbing someone goes! You're trying to get everyone to blame me so
I never make another mistake!"
            Yukio shot back, "I could make the same assumption about you! You
could've taken the money and forgotten where you'd put it!"
            "Why would I hide it if you've already got it hidden under your
desk?"
            "You also could've taken it just to get some attention!"
            Rin scrambled to his feet, "I don't need any more attention than
I've already got!"
            "You're right," Yukio fixed his glasses. "You couldn't have counted
half the yen in one night, that would've been too great of a project. It
would've taken you multiple nights."
            "That's right, you bastard!" Rin paused for a bit. "What? No! I'm
not that big of an idiot! It was you, wasn't it?"
            "It wasn't me, Rin, let's stop pointing fingers at each other!"
            Rin's eyes blew twice their size in an instant. "It was Amaimon!"
            "Would he be looking round the dorm for money?"
            "If not him, then Mephisto! He knows we're working to repay the
pots! Wait, so does Amaimon, they were both there!"
            "Both where, the market?"
            Rin tried to bring the subject back before he confessed anything
else. "Never mind that, we've got to kick some serious ass! Call him, call
Mephisto!"
            "If he took it, wasn't it his to take in the first place?" Yukio
retrieved his particular mobile.
            "It was his to take in the morning after telling us, don't you
think?"
            "That is true." The younger brother reported to Mephisto.
 
            The room was calm with no other sounds than on and off breathing,
until a soft tune began playing from the dresser.
            He unravelled himself from the sheets to fetch the mobile, correct
in assuming it would be Yukio. "Yes, you've reached Mr Pheles."
            "Sorry, we've noticed our savings have been cut in half since our
last vending, and I just want to be clear, the yen is with you."
            Mephisto squinted, "Yes, I was too eager to begin buying my
porcelain back."
            "That's what I figured. I'll let the rest of my class know, thank
you."
            The demon shut his mobile and sneered down at Amaimon who was
nestled beside him. Mephisto took his shoulder and flipped him on his back.
            "You went in to their room to take half of their yen?"
            Amaimon tumbled through the sheets, "What?"
            The demon swiped the duvet behind him, having it float back and
leaving Amaimon bare. "You spend all your time below," continued Mephisto.
            Amaimon's chin was gripped and brought off the mattress.
            "You entered their dorm after curfew?"
            "What are you talking about?"
            Mephisto revealed his teeth, "Yukio tells me their yen is missing,
you've disobeyed the laws of the game."
            "What business have I got with Japanese currency? You're the
culture nut."
            "Of couse, you took the yen so Rin would have to keep working and
have no spare time for me to make a move. Even better, you wanted to punish Rin
for his ability to catch my interest."
            "I had no idea they were keeping the money somewhere in their
dorm."
            "Likely story," Mephisto grinned, "likely story. There must be
punishment for what you've committed, and what could be more fitting than the
embarrassment of you giving it back?"
            "I did not take the money, I will not be insulted."
            "I will be sure to excuse you from your duties to apologise."
            Amaimon ogled his brother as his lips trembled, confused and
anxious to find what had really happened.
 
 
            Standing in a sunny field with the Cram Class the following
afternoon, Yukio informed everyone of the news they'd received last night.
            "He's already ordering new pots, he was just too engaged with his
work to keep us updated."
            "That's a relief," Renzou smiled to himself.
            "Why would he only take half the money we've earned?" Izumo asked.
            Konekomaru joined in, "Is that what he came to ask you, Rin, that
day at the market?"
            "Uh," said Rin, "No..."
            "Hold on a minute," Ryuuji raised his voice. "So, neither of you
knew he took it, even though the money bank is at your dorm?"
            "He probably went in during classes," said Yukio.
            "That's still a bit creepy," he shifted his weight.
            "That's good," Shiemi smiled, "At least we know where the yen
went."
            "It is, now let's start the lesson for today," Yukio stood at the
head of the group.
 
            Mephisto backed away from his brother to watch the magic begin. The
Cram Class was practicing a sort of meditation some ways off from the
classroom. Students stood a few metres from one another and kept their posture
relaxed. Yukio had his eyes closed as he explained the technique, joining
practice as well. Amaimon neared the humans with a slow pace.
            Rin felt a prick on his collarbone and turned to answer it.
Suddenly, positioning himself at the rear of the class didn't seem like a good
idea.
            "Hey, piss off," he whispered.
            "Heard your savings went missing."
            "Get away from me!"
            "Missing, huh? I know you framed me. You hid it yourself because
you're sick of me trying to get my way with you. You knew if Mephisto found
out, I'd be punished, what with that first call your brother made and how I'm
not supposed to be round you anymore."
            Rin exploded in a fit of blue flames for a quick moment, "Get
lost!"
            The class looked over to find where the heat was coming from.
            "Rin," Shima called, "You all right?"
            "Yeah, yeah," he closed his eyes to resume the practice.
            Amaimon lost his camouflage, "Do you admit it?"
            "I never took anything!"
            "I'm sorry, then." Amaimon rotated his head until he met with
Mephisto in the distance. He was quite a ways out from the group. It would be
safe to continue. "I still want to be friends, Rin."
            "You want to be my friend?"
            Amaimon chewed on his half-brother's remark. Then, instead of
answering, he returned to Mephisto at the top of the hillside.
            The wind had Mephisto's cape flowing gently to the side, "What have
you told him, will you give back what is his?"
            "I don't have the money, and neither does he."
            "That is a shame," Mephisto smirked. "Well then, I guess I'll just
have to-"
            "You have it."
            "...Pardon?"
            Amaimon stared up at him from lower along the grass, "You took it
suspecting Rin would believe it was me."
            The cloaked demon took Amaimon by the arm and had them vanish in a
gust of pink smoke. They reappeared in Mephisto's office where they could
continue their accusations without being overheard.
            "So, I have it?" He placed a gloved hand on his chest, "It was an
act of deception?"
            "You're no fool, my brother. You're trying to keep Rin away from me
completely, I will never have any chance to beat you now."
            "What a conclusion," he stroked Amaimons nose. "Let's try to keep
up with clever strategies."
            "Maybe one of his friends has it."
            "Still defending yourself?"
            Amaimon pushed into his brother's touch. "I would never blame you,"
said he, "without reason."
 
           
            After a peachy day spending peachy time doing peachy crap, Rin used
a pair of oven gloves to hang a demon repelling ornament on the dorm room
window. His brother was out late again for the evening, so no one would
ridicule him or anything.
            "Try seeing me now, Amaimon! And good luck taking the yen,
Mephisto!"
            His eye began the most irritating itch.
            "Oh shit, I forgot about Kuro," he removed the glove and scrubbed
his eye. "I hope this doesn't hurt him too..."
            He felt another itch deep in his nose.
            "Damn it," he reached in to get it, but found it was too far. "What
the Hell, this is awful!"
            Rin ran to the doorway, hoping the ornament's power wouldn't reach
him.
            "I'm sorry, Kuro! I still love you!" He rubbed all over his face
until the itch was too much and left the room.
            In the hall, he couldn't feel any additional pain, but the burns
from the room hadn't subsided just yet.
            "Oh my gosh, I'm crazy," he held his head and screamed to the
ground, "I'm crazy!"
            Yukio's voice came from afar, "Rin?"
            "Oh," he stood and hid the gloves, "Yukio! Hi, I thought you were
going to be late, like late-late."
            "I thought so too, but the papers weren't so complicated to review
after all. What, um, what are you up to so late?"
            "I just felt so... Hungry, and so, I was going to cook for myself!"
He brought the gloves out again, "Want something?"
            "Haven't you eaten by now?"
            "Well, yeah... I just can't stop eating, I'm crazy!" He ran down
the hall in the direction Yukio had entered. "So, nothing? You're not eating?"
            "No thanks." He watched Rin fly passed.
            "Okay, but you're missing out! I'm cooking up a feast!" He jogged
round the corner.
            Yukio stood still or a moment, wondering whether to change his
mind. Rin had been suffering a lot of shame and overexertion over the past
month. It would probably be better for him to relax with his brother.
 
            Rin was practically laying on the counter in front of Ukobach as he
held up the ornament-infested gloves.
            "So what do you think, should I burn them?"
            The demon grunted a noise and crossed his arms at the things.
            "I'm afraid to touch cooking utensils with it, just being around
the ornament makes me itch like I've got tiny moles digging my bones out,
imagine if we ate something like that."
            Ukobach took steps closer and made a sound of proposal.
            "No, don't touch it!"
            "Hello," Yukio came in, dressed down from his work attire.
            "Ah," Rin jumped to his feet and panicked, then flung himself at
the shelf of boxes.
            "Have you changed your mind?"
            Rin looked for ingredients, "No, I'm... Cooking eggplant..."
            "Sounds good," Yukio smiled as he rolled up his sleeves.
            "What, uh, okay..." He wasn't expecting Yukio to follow him. He
also wasn't in the mood to cook eggplant. Rin shut the door and journeyed to
the pantry where the eggplants were kept, watching Ukobach with a pleading eye
the whole way.
            The demon helped gather supplies in agreement.
            "What can I do, wash something?"
            Rin said under his breath, "You can head back to work..."
            Ukobach handed Yukio a bottle of pickled radishes.
            "Thank you," said Yukio as he took it. "What can I do with this?"
            The demon ranted at Yukio and jumped from leg to leg, gesturing to
the jar, and the cupboard, and his feet, and the ceiling...
            Rin ran over, "Yukio what did you do? Are those pickled radishes?"
            "Yes, what can I do with these?"
            "Never ask what to do with pickled radishes! That sets Ukobach
off!"
            Yukio bowed several times, "Please excuse me."
            Ukobach swiped the radishes back and snorted in declaration.
            "Now you've done it," said rin. "He banned us from using the
kitchen!"
            "Ah, please excuse me."
            Ukobach gave a final humph and turned away from the boys.
            "You heard him," Rin pushed his brother out the kitchen. "No sugar
tonight in his coffee, no sugar tonight in his tea!"
            Rin turned and gave an appreciative expression to Ukobach, who
pointed to the gloves with his foot.
            "Oh, that's right!" Rin ran back in the kitchen, "I better help
clean up!"
            "Let me offer some help, as well," Yukio followed.
            Ukobach held the jar away to taunt him.
            Rin put the supplies away in a hurry, "I think you've done enough."
            "Please forgive me," Yukio ducked his head once again.
            Rin took this opportunity to slip the gloves down the back of his
trouser leg.
            "Okay," he said, "We better go before you make things worse."
 
            Yukio unrolled his sleeves on their return to the dorm room.
            "I apologise, Rin, I've ruined your meal."
            "Don't worry about it," he walked with a stiff leg, trying to avoid
touching the glove too much.
            "Are you okay, did you strain something?"
            "I'm fine, I just..." He tried to say something before the gap was
too great and Yukio would think he made something up on the spot, "I'm fine..."
            Yukio kept quiet and readied to open their door as they approached,
being the one closest to it, and who got Rin into this mess. As they came
closer, Rin began to slow his pace and even pull away from his position beside
his brother.
            "Rin, you've got to sleep some time."
            "I will, nothing's wrong."
            Yukio walked through the door after it'd been opened and removed
his shoes at the porch.
            From the hall, Rin dragged the gloves out from his trousers and
readied to hide them whenever Yukio turned round. Surprisingly, his leg had
never itched that entire trip. He tapped one of the gloves with a finger. When
there was no itch to greet it, he patted the glove with a hand. There was still
no itch. Rin figured it must only be the ornament itself that creates
discomfort.
            He watched Yukio remove his tie, still oblivious to the new item in
the room. Rin guessed he would play along until he could get rid of the gloves
the next day or something. He walked in very slowly, easing in to the pain.
            "Come on, it's good for you, and you need some rest after a hard
day's work."
            Rin swallowed and jumped in, thinking he'd tackle this like a Band-
Aid. The itching immediately attacked him from all over, feeling more like
burns than bug bites. Really, it felt more like he'd jumped into a pool of wild
grasses, it was insanely uncomfortable, but if Yukio saw him scratching he
would suspect something. Rin walked to his side of the room one movement at a
time, looking something like a malfunctioning robot. If he moved his hand, he
wouldn't move his leg, and if he landed a foot, he wouldn't purse his lips. He
slowly got to his bedside and stood in absolute torture.
            Yukio was already dressed down, "Something on your mind again?"
            "No," Rin squeezed a word from his throat, hiding the gloves.
            "I want to apologise again. Maybe we can do something tomorrow to
make up for it." Yukio paused. "I know, how would you like to go eat
somewhere?"
            Rin's ears were pounding and hot from the itch, barely able to hear
what his brother was saying. "I'm fine..."
            "Oh, okay. Well, I guess we can talk about something tomorrow
then."
            "Really," Rin felt a sweltering itch forming on his shoulder, "I'm
fine..!"
            "Are you choking?"
            Rin scratched the Hell out of his shoulder as he turned it away
from Yukio. "I just got this horrible itch on my arm!"
            "You sound like it's hard for you to breathe, Rin. Do you need
help?"
            "I'm fine, I swear!" His face puckered in irritation, "I just got
this itch!"
            "You haven't been like this all day, have you? I can't think of any
allergies you have."
            "No, it's not an allergy! That's the last thing it is!" He smacked
his face to have it stop acting up.
            "Was it something you ate?"
            "Yeah, probably!" He clenched his teeth and slid open his pyjama
drawer with a stiff posture, "Just something I ate..!"
            "Rin, if it's getting hard for you to breathe, I may have to give
you something." Yukio went for his aide kit.
            "No, don't touch me! I'm fine, you're just seeing things!"
            "What did you eat, Rin?"
            He scrubbed his aching legs and found he couldn't take it anymore.
Rin ran out the room to the hall where he knew the ornament couldn't reach him.
            Yukio shouted behind him, "Rin!" Then, he calmed himself, seeing
him standing just outside the door. "Where are you going?"
            Rin took a deep breath of fresh air, clinging to his gloves.
            "Are you all right?" Yukio joined him with a needle.
            "Get that thing away from me!" He threw his own back against the
wall, "I can breathe just fine!"
            "Why do you still have those cooking gloves?"
            Rin looked to them as if they held the answer. "Well, I get cold at
night."
            "Anyway, are the symptoms subsiding now? What was going on?"
            "There was nothing going on!" He itched a remaining burn on his
pelvis, "I just need some space..."
            "Is there something in that room that's bothering you? Is that why
you have the gloves?" Yukio left to investigate.
            "No, don't be daft!"
            Yukio scanned Rin's end of the dorm room for something unfamiliar.
            "Hey, it's Ukobach!" Rin pointed down the hall, "He's come back for
revenge!"
            "Rin," Yukio stormed to the window. "What is this?" He removed the
ornament from its hanger.
            "It's nothing, I promise!" He begged the ceiling.
            "Is this what's bothering you? Are you trying to kill yourself?"
            Rin swiped it from his brother, "Don't be stupid!" His hand felt as
if it were being torn open from the palm, a sharp and uneasy pain that made him
feel sick. He quickly threw it away from himself.
            "Are you okay?" Yukio took hold of Rin's wrist and observed his
hand.
            "Ah!" Rin yelled at the blister in disapproval.
            "I'm getting rid of this thing," Yukio retrieved the ornament from
the floor.
            "No, you idiot! I need it, I need it to keep Amaimon and Mephisto
away!"
            "Amaimon?" Yukio turned.
            "That first night he came-" Rin was cut short by the burn of his
legs. He bent to itch them as he awkwardly jogged backwards, getting himself
away from Yukio.
            His brother left down the other hall, "I'll be right back, Rin. I'm
going to dispose of this."
            "No," Rin fought his aching body to chase after Yukio. His feet
turned in his shoes, the air tickled his arms, and even his eyes were sore from
the ornament's influence. From his back he could feel the first sparks of
flames forming as his irritation rose. He clenched onto Yukio's arm with a
spare hand and snatched the ornament with the other. "I need this! The first
night Amaimon came in it scarred me! I can't sleep in that room without
thinking Amaimon will show his stupid face again! What if he tries to hurt
you?"
            "Rin, this pain is not worth it!" Yukio stared at his blue brother.
            "Auhh," He growled at the splitting ache in his hand. "I can't
sleep! I keep thinking he'll come back!"
            Yukio took hold of Rin's hand and the two tugged for the ornament.
            "Rin, let go!"
            "You let go..!"
            "As an authority figure, I command that you let go!"
            "AAAHHH!" The ornament ate at Rin's flesh from under his hold.
            Yukio shoved his brother down and grabbed the thing from him,
running away as fast he could soon after. He carried it to the front of the
dormitory building and continued running through the dark.
            He didn't know whether to give it back to the shop owner -wherever
they were, or dispose of it himself -however he would. Burning it seemed a bit
too drastic; it wasn't that the ornament was evil; it was just in the wrong
spot. He started questioning his actions and why he thought running away was a
good idea. There he was, running off barefoot at night in his pyjamas. Yukio
slowed his pace to think. He would go back to the dorm and get the key to open
a door to the town where he would find the shop.
            It wasn't long before he heard quick steps coming up from behind.
He turned to see Rin heading towards him from a ways off, free of flames.
            "What are you doing?" Yukio cried, "It'll kill you, don't you
know?"
            "Yukio!" He shouted in response, "Give that fucking thing back
right now, young man!"
            "Slow down, let's talk about this!"
            "It's mine! I bought it with my own money!"
            Yukio picked up his pace once again as Rin came closer. "Where did
you even get this? How did you enter the shop without being bombarded?"
            "You may be my authority, but I'm your older brother!"
            "Rin, please!" Yukio hollered over his shoulder.
            "Don't you care about me? You said so yourself, sleep is
important!"
            "Rin, enough! We're acting like children!" Yukio came to a full
stop. "Don't come any closer, the ornament will hurt you!"
            His brother slowed to a jog, "It's only to keep Amaimon and
Mephisto away, I can handle it!"
            "All we need to do is tell Mephisto not to enter our dorm. You
didn't need to go get an ornament to keep demons away, including yourself."
            "You can't guarantee that! Those bastards are sneaky!"
            "And Amaimon only came that one time, Rin."
            Rin kept quiet for a moment. Then went on, "He might come back!"
            "Oh, stop!" Yukio screamed, "This is your life, we're talking
about, Rin! This ornament will kill you! It was designed to kill demons!"
            "Not technically, it only wards them off!"
            "It doesn't matter what it does, it's hurting you! I wont let you
hurt yourself anymore, Rin! The circumstances have driven you mad, and I'm
sorry! I'll do all I can to get us out of it and repay for those porcelain
pots."
            "This isn't about the pots or any of that shit! I want those demons
out of our dorm building!"
            "Mephisto already told us Amaimon would never come in our room
again, don't you remember? All we have to do is ask him to stop by only when we
want him to."
            "It's not as easy as it sounds! Nothing ever is! Give that to me!"
Rin ran through the gap between them in direction of the ornament.
            "Rin, stop it!" Yukio wished he had his belt on to scare Rin into
keeping back. But then, not even the power from the ornament was enough to fend
him off.
            Yukio continued, "Have you thought about Kuro, and Ukobach, and
others who live with us who'll have to suffer this pain with you?"
            "I know!" Rin stood before his brother, "It really didn't occur to
me until I had it hanging on the window! He scratched his blistering face.
            "Here's what we'll do, I'm going to go back for my clothes so I can
dispose of the ornament, you wait outside until I come back for you."
            Rin retreated from the ornament's aura round Yukio.
            "Then," the younger brother carried on, "I'm going to call Mephisto
and tell him not to enter the dorm. I'll tell him we'll bring the yen to him
when we're ready, does that sound better to you?"
            Rin rubbed a lingering burn on his jaw, "Okay..."
 
            While Yukio was off trying to rid of the ornament, Rin rested
against the Old Male Dormitory, looking after his wound. It was getting warmer
with the end of spring, but it was still decently cold at night. Off to the
right, Rin could see the lights of the city where Yukio probably was by then.
            The sound of boots landing echoed from above him, "Hey," Amaimon
perched himself on one of the higher windowsills.
            "Uhg," Rin came off from the wall, "Stay the fuck away from me!"
            "I can get you your money back."
            "I don't need it back! Stay the fuck away from me!"
            "The market should be ending soon. How will you earn enough in such
little time?"
            "Hey, why don't you mind your own business for once? Mephisto's
telling you everything he knows, huh? Those might've been his pots and all, but
most of everything else we're doing is none of his business!"
            "Easy, I only come with a proposition."
            "No, I'm not going to give my body to you! No, no, no, no! Do you
hear me yet?"
            "I only ask that you become my friend."
            "Hell no, I would rather work myself to death! And check this out,
if you ever come back to our dorm," Rin shoved his palm in Amaimon's direction,
"Your flesh will burn from our anti-demon ornament! It's hurts like Hell!"
            "Anti-demon? Does it bother you at all?"
            "Only when I touch it, so I'm safe. But since you're completely
demon, while I'm only a demi, you'll be burnt on sight! So better treat my
personal space with more respect, bastard!"
            "Interesting," Amaimon floated down to Rin's level. "Will this
heal?"
            "Probably not, the ornament is pretty intense."
            "Could it be you're only a demi and not a full demon -as you say,
that you cannot heal properly?"
            "If that were the case, you'd be hurt more cos you're an actual
demon!"
            "What would your friends think of your injury? Will they accept
whatever story you give them about how you came to receive a gash in your
hand?"
            "They won't see it."
            "That's because it's healing as we speak."
            Rin stole a quick glance at his hand, hoping Amaimon was being
metaphorical.
            "You heal, even if it's a repelling item, because you're a demon."
            "Shut up, I know what I am!"
            "It's not all bad, Rin. I'm a demon too. Let's be friends."
            "Get the fuck out of here! I said I'm not giving you my body, not
even to use as a friend!"
            "Rin, do your friends know about us?"
            "What?" Rin pushed Amaimon in disgust.
            "Your friends, they helped you put up the papers on the school
noticeboards. Ryuuji is his name, correct? Does he know you're battling to keep
your room free of me? Does he know why you try to keep me away?"
            "Shut up already," Rin pushed him again, "just get away from me and
Yukio, and the dormitory in general!"
            "Your hand will tell them if it doesn't heal. Will you wear a wrap,
or mittens, or a cast? Then, how will you explain the cast, or the wrap? Is it
really cold enough to be wearing mittens?"
            "Get out of here," Rin threw a fist at the demon.
            Amaimon grabbed it, spinning round with the velocity, and spread
the fingers to reveal Rin's cut once again.
            "Already it is almost healed."
            "Stop it!" Rin shouted, now facing the building where he started.
He tugged on his arm to try to get it back.
            "Why won't you accept you're unnatural? You have no need for those
human friends of yours, though they are entertaining."
            "Fuck off!" Rin set himself on fire in Amaimon's hold, causing the
demon to release him out of pity. "I don't need you to tell me who my friends
are! If you don't get the fuck out of here, I'll bring down the ornament and
kill you!"
            "We both know you need that money, Rin."
            "I don't need any additional money! I've got work at the market,
and that's going just fine! I don't need your help, I don't need to sell myself
to you!"
            "No," said Amaimon, "I wasn't thinking additional, rather the money
you lost. Don't you need that back first?"
            "I already know Mephisto has it, you dumbass! Don't try anything
with me!"
            "Mephisto," he dragged the name for a moment as he considered the
situation. "Mephisto does have it then."
            "Yeah, of course he does! And I know you knew that, you load of
bollocks!"
            "You're right, Rin. You've always been correct about things. With
the exception of admitting you are different. How long will you avoid the
subject?"
            Rin threw a blue fist, which Amaimon dodged, "I don't have to cos
there's nothing to avoid! Just get out of here, we have sleeping to do, me and
Yukio!"
            "I'm sorry, I won't push it. Please think about us." Amaimon jumped
over the building and disappeared without another sound.
            Rin pulled himself together and leaned against the wall once again.
After a moment of shuffling through what was said, about being different and
having to earn enough money before the end of the market, he gripped his face
and shrunk to the ground.
            "Shit..."
***** Chapter 4 *****
            Yukio came back for Rin and the two of them went to the dorm room.
Yukio kept quiet about the ornament situation but told Rin it would be better
to call Mephisto in the morning so not to disturb him. Of course, Rin went on
about how authority figures always took the opportunity to disturb him, and how
Mephisto could easily sneak in at night and take some more, now with the
ornament missing. Yukio explained everything that had gone wrong in full detail
until Rin finally got it through his head that they would, in fact, learn from
their mistakes and be free of this whole mess. Rin let everything slide for the
time being, but would make sure to remind Yukio mercilessly to call Mephisto
the next morning.
            The lights were on, and Yukio was already up. This might've been
the first time Rin had ever woken up before his alarm. He took a glance at his
hand to find it had made full recovery.
            "I've been getting a lot more sleep lately," said Yukio. "I'm going
to miss that when work starts piling up again."
            Rin stared at his brother from where he laid on the bed. "Who's the
slacker now?"
            "It's not a matter of slacking, it's the amount of work I'm given
all at once."
            "That too, but I meant right here and now. You don't want to call
him."
            Yukio went for the mobile, "I hate to do this. Can't you do it on
your own?"
            "I knew it, see? You're trying to get me to act all grown-up even
though you're perfectly capable of doing it yourself!"
            "It's just a quick call, and we can't waste any more time, Rin.
Just get it over with."
            "Who cares about school? You probably get straight A's anyway, you
could stay home for all your teacher's care!"
            Yukio contacted Mephisto and waited for him to answer, "You owe me
for this. You owe me for-" He went silent.
            Rin stared back at his brother for a moment.
            From the other end of the mobile, Mephisto answered, only to be
greeted by the boy's state of shock.
            Yukio finally replied, "Hello, Sir..."
 
            It was awkward leaving the dorm that morning, for the both of them.
Rin tried not to say one thing; afraid he might bring up the subject of selling
himself that Yukio had undoubtedly figured out earlier. He ran off to the
Academy with Kuro before Yukio had even begun to leave. What was going to
happen? Would the subject be brought up later after they'd returned home? That
would be uncomfortable. Maybe Yukio would stay late again and miss Rin after
he'd already fallen asleep. Yeah, that's a good idea. Fall asleep before Yukio
gets home, that always worked in the past. But then, Yukio knew Rin was having
trouble sleeping recently, a sudden change in attitude would be curious on it's
own. But Yukio told Mephisto to stop coming in, that's enough reason to sleep
soundly.
            "You're under stress," Kuro told him.
            "What, no I'm not." They came to a stop at the traffic light.
            "Wanna talk?"
            Rin thought about it. "Yeah okay, Yukio can't understand you anyway
if you blab."
            "It's about your brother?"
            "Listen to this," Rin crouched by the cat, "I summoned a demon who
smashed a bunch of pots which got me in trouble with Mephisto who wanted me to
repay the damage with my body and Yukio found out about it yesterday."
            Kuro twitched his ears, "With your body?"
            "You know, sell my... you know?"
            The demon squinted at Rin, trying to understand.
            "Any who, it's embarrassing and Yukio found out! How awkward is
that?"
            "Well, if it's embarrassing, I can see why it would be awkward, I
guess..."
            Rin checked whether the traffic was still passing and continued,
"But it's not just any sort of embarrassment, it's got to do with me asking for
money and offering my body to the Chairman."
            "So, it's not being naked that's embarrassing, it's needing to ask
for money?"
            "Well yeah, but mostly because I offered my sex, like I was that
desperate."
            "Oohhh," Kuro widened his eyes.
            "What, I thought we were on the same page!"
            "That is bad," he shifted his weight, feeling uncomfortable.
            "Exactly, and Yukio knows the whole story! I don't know how he did
it, he was just talking to me, and then in the middle of his sentence, he
stopped like he suddenly understood everything!"
            "What were you talking about?"
            "It was something like, needing to repay him for calling Mephisto
so many times. You tell me where selling myself fits in with that!"
            The traffic light changed, and the two of them crossed with few
others behind them who couldn't believe what they were seeing.
 
            Yukio sat in his first class waiting for lessons to begin. He
couldn't shake what had happened last night and it was bothering him to the
point when he could no longer keep up with a casual exchange. One of his
admirers had come to talk about this or that, but nothing she said had
registered.
            "Yes, very impressive," said he.
            "Sorry?" The girl went red.
            Yukio did as well after realising that couldn't have made sense.
"Please forgive me, I was elsewhere in my head. I've been out of sorts lately."
            "Are you sleeping? I can make you a bear to help you sleep at
night!"
            "Thank you, that's very kind of you..."
            "In that case, I'll make it extra big and fluffy!"
            "Oh, how wonderful..."
            "It was nice talking with you!"
            The girl went back to her seat to start planning, and Yukio flooded
his mind once again. The whole porcelain incident had taken a beating on Rin,
and it was beginning to show. He was already losing sleep, and he was becoming
more irritable and careless, if that was possible. Last night, he ruined Rin's
late dinner, which was meant to be a brotherly bonding time. Then, to make
things worse, he told Rin he owed something, as if he was doing Rin a favour.
He should apologise and make it up to him without causing another commotion.
Hopefully he wouldn't deny being ill, that always made things difficult. The
subject would need to be brought up indirectly and with little mention of their
current events as possible.
 
            It was during their lunch break when Yukio approached Rin, who was
slumped behind a short wall away from everyone else.
            "Hey, Rin."
            The eldest was given a start and he turned to face the voice. "Y-
Yukio?"
            "What happened with the tree?"
            Rin tried not to sound nervous, "I thought sitting by this wall
would be a good change of scenery..."
            "Oh," was all Yukio said.
            They waited for something to happen, hoping the other would start
another conversation. Rin picked up another slice of meat and ate it very
slowly, giving Yukio an invitation to speak first.
            "So, when should I treat you?"
            Rin chewed, "Treat?"
            "I said I would take you to eat somewhere, but you're already
eating, so..."
            "Oh," Rin swallowed. "I don't know if you need to do anything for
me. I get enough on my own." Rin took on a heavy blush, "I mean, I can take
care of myself! I don't need anybody's help. I sure got enough money!" Rin
thought about that last sentence and panicked, "I mean, what makes me happy
isn't very expensive-MEANING, FLOWERS! I DO LOVE THOSE FLOWERS!"
            "Okay," Yukio tried to divert the subject from making money,
however that happened. "Would you want to go for a walk some time? Maybe to a
park where there are lots of flowers?"
            "Yeah, yeah! Can't get enough flowers-HEY, why don't we bring
Shiemi?"
            Rin was rightly acting as if he was trying to keep the conversation
from going a certain way. Yukio decided they should definitely avoid talking
about last night at all costs. After their farewells, Yukio went off in search
for something to eat before the break ended.
           
            Another day at the market, and it just so happened to be one of the
two remaining days. The Cram students worked very hard to earn additional
donations, pushing their products on passers by, advertising down the walk,
waving posters and pamphlets, anything. Bon's crowd had finally made an
appearance, thought they weren't donating because they enjoyed his dancing,
rather they felt sorry for him. Shiemi's herbal soaps had attracted quite a few
people by then, and there were others who thought Izumo's old trinkets would be
put to proper use.
            The food booth had become far less popular, but their advertising
had attracted more donations for their fundraiser. In fact, there were flocks
of people coming to donate simply from hearing the money was going into mending
the wreckage from the earthquake. Rin took breaks from frying to thank the
crowd time and again. As the sun lowered, the donation jar had to be emptied to
the cashbox to make more room. It seemed they were making more that night than
when they'd just begun their vendor, though the students were grateful enough
to find they were still making money.
            The end of the market had come and gone once again, and everybody
said their goodbyes after counting up their earnings. Yukio reported their
final balance for the day, and Rin was beyond relieved to hear they'd made
enough to repay plenty of porcelain. If their luck kept up, that time next
market day, they would have repaid every stinking pot. Anything could happen
after that and he wouldn't even care, so long as the town was rebuilt and
everything was paid for. He wouldn't hear one more thing about pottery. No tea
cups, no toilets, okay those were bad examples...
            "Rin," asked Yukio.
            He sat up from his slouch on the bed, "Huh..?"
            "I just want you to know how proud I am of you."
            Rin spoke carefully, "How's that?"
            "You've been keeping it strong for the rest of us, even though it
may not come so obvious. And there were times when anybody else would've coward
away or, like you'd said, blamed some one else. But you're still here trying
your best with us. Not that this was your entire fault in the first place, I
was a bit hard on you that day."
            Rin listened for Mephisto's name or something sounding like sex.
            "It doesn't matter anyway, the point is we're fixing it, and you're
still fighting. I'm very proud of you."
            There was a long silence after that, which made them both a bit
anxious. At the window was Kuro to the rescue; tapping his paw on the glass in
hope that someone would let him in. Rin stood to oblige him, half avoiding the
conversation with Yukio. The brother he never had jumped down from the sill,
and then the desk as well, to land on the floor beside him.
            "Hey, Kuro..."
            The demon noticed Yukio standing across the dorm and went still,
fur nearly standing on his back.
            "What was that," asked Yukio.
            "You just scared him, that's all..."
            "I feel like I offend all your demon friends."
            Rin gave a nervous laugh, "No you don't. Think about Mephisto-"
            There was an evident swallow after his comment, as if it pained him
to talk.
            "I'm sorry, Rin. I've always been proud of you, even as kids. I
just wanted you to know that. Night."
            As Yukio got in to bed, Rin did the same to go with the flow,
giving a terrified look to Kuro. The demon jumped on his lap and they both
turned to make sure Yukio was where they'd left him.
            I don't know,said Rin's headshake.
            He seemed normal to me,went Kuro's head tilt.
            Did you see how I almost blew it just then,shouted Rin's stronger
headshake.
            It's fine, see how things go, went Kuro's pat on Rin's chest.
            No, don't make me,pleaded Rin's headshake.
            Kuro squinted, which probably meant, you're in deep shit and you
know it.
            I know, I know!Rin nodded.
            "Maybe he didn't actually think of you and Mephisto," he meowed.
            Rin shook his head to imply Kuro didn't know shit.
            "Just because he's proud of you, doesn't mean he's talking about
you being so desperate to help that you sold yourself."
            Rin whispered louder than he intended, "I didn't!"
            They both turned to Yukio once again in caution.
            "Hey, Yukio, I'm just going to go take a piss," Rin got up.
            "You don't need to tell me..."
            Rin left the room with Kuro and started down the hall.
            "I didn't actually do it, it was just a random topic Mephisto
pulled out of his butt!"
            "Okay, so you're really upset because Yukio thinks you sold your
sex, and it's embarrassing that Yukio believes you would do that in the first
place?"
            "Wouldn't you feel awkward if your brother was thinking of you
naked with the Chairman?"
            "Um," Kuro tried to imagine it.
            "It's awkward," said Rin, "It really is! Not to mention
humiliating!"
            "Listen, if you really want to know, just ask him."
            "No way! Then if he really wasn't thinking it, it would be my fault
that he did! And then he WOULD think it!"
            "I think, you're thinking about this too much."
            "Just think, if Yukio does think it, how often does he think about
it? Is it what he thinks about at night? Does he think about it when he's
bored? And in what situation does he think about it? Am I lying in Mephisto's
arms? Am I acting like a toy? Holy shit- Am I bound?"
            Kuro looked to Rin, "I'm getting the sense that you've thought
about this..."
            "Are you kidding?" Rin directed his coiled posture at his smaller
friend. "It's a nightmare, I hate that creep! I'm fed up with hearing about
him! I mean, it's only common sense to think about those things when someone
brings up the topic! You never know, maybe Yukio's a pervert!"
            "You're going to beat yourself up over this until you know for
sure."
            "I'll," he thought, "I'll trick him into telling me!"
            "How, bring it up indirectly?"
            "No way, that's too obvious. He's probably just as disturbed as I
am, so he'll avoid the subject too. Now we're both avoiding the subject- Hey, I
know, if he does avoid the subject, like duh he's totally avoid it, then I'll
know he knows!"
            "And if not, he'll keep the subject going." Rin agreed and Kuro
continued, "but what if he does know and doesn't avoid the subject? What if he
wants to talk about it?"
            "What? Don't scare me like that! There's no way out of this, is
there?"
            "The only way out is to try," said Kuro.
 
            Back at the dorm, Yukio was repeatedly being tapped on the
shoulder. He did his best to ignore it, hoping the burden would return to bed.
Then, it occurred to him that Rin might actually want to talk about something.
Maybe he was going to open up and let some positive energy in for once.
            "Hmm," Yukio sat up and looked at the hovering figure beside him.
            "Hey, Yukio." Ordered Rin.
            'Yeah, what is it?"
            "I need to talk to you about something."
            Yukio situated himself on his knees to give his brother more
attention.
            "You like geckos?"
            He sat for a minute to contemplate the situation. "Geckos?"
            "Yeah, do you like them?"
            "Um, I have no opinion on geckos, at the moment, really. What is it
about geckos that has you up so late?"
            "Cos I was just thinking I might want a gecko."
            Yukio went quiet once again, unable to put the puzzle pieces
together. "You woke me up to talk about geckos?"
            "Well yeah, it's not so weird..."
            Kuro was keeping still on the back of Rin's neck, wrapped awkwardly
round his head for moral support. He kneaded his shoulder to help change the
subject.
            "Spring is almost over." Rin blurted, "and there's only one market
day left. What if we can't earn enough money to repay the porcelain?"
            "Rin, the townspeople will continue to donate until the repairs
have been made regardless of the farmers market. I think we'll be okay."
            "That money isn't coming in fast enough, we'll be in debt for a
long time. We need a new game plan."
            "Rin, the townspeople were very generous last market day. If
they're just as much so next time, we'll have plenty of donations."
            "What if it rains? Nobody likes a market day in the rain, except
ducks."
            "If all comes to worse, we'll get jobs. It's fine."
            "Ryuuji was talking like he never gets enough free time, you really
think he's going to want to get a job? And we can't just force our friends to
get jobs, let alone give them more to do on top of everything else. You know
what I think; I'll do it myself. I won't bother anyone with earning enough
money, it was my bad anyway."
            "Rin, we'll get through this together, okay? Just get some sleep."
            He watched Yukio get back in to bed as he panicked. Has he or has
he not been thinking about Mephisto's naked body? He could not sleep until he
knew exactly what Yukio dreamt about, and in the case that he indeed thought
about Mephisto, Rin would definitely not sleep. In fact, he probably would
never sleep again. But there was half a chance of that, and he was going to
have to take it sooner or later if this was ever going to end.
            "Yukio, I think I should see Mephisto!"
            The other turned to him, "What?"
            "He's got ideas, maybe he knows how to make money."
            Yukio grunted, "Go to sleep."
            Kuro nudged Rin's head with his own, "I don't think he knows. Your
story doesn't make much sense..."
            "All right," Rin answered both of them at the same time and went to
bed.
 
           
            Hands against the wall, Amaimon kneeled between Mephisto's arms,
which were clasped round the bedframe for leverage. A horde of pillows kept him
company as Mephisto refused to make conversation. He exhaled heavily as he was
pushed forward, gasping once he'd run out of air. Time and again, Mephisto
would reach deep enough to hit something sensitive and earn more of a moaning
sound, but nothing more was narrated. Amaimon let his hands give way and he
slowly oozed to the wall, making himself more comfortable.
            He said under his breath, "I know you took the yen..."
            Mephisto hummed behind him, keeping his thoughts to himself.
            "At night, or while they were in school, you entered their dorm and
took it," he gave the other a needing eye.
            "Avoiding the blame again?"
            Amaimon sank to the pillows to ask for their comfort.
            "Why would I steal it, it's coming to me anyway, isn't it? Do I
honestly need to encourage Rin to hate you? You're doing a fine job yourself,
wouldn't you say?"
            "Please touch me..."
            "Reward you for passing the blame to me? I think not."
            "I see straight through you. If not me, who else could've taken the
yen from their dorm?"
            "That's enough, don't overplay the coward."
            "Please," whined Amaimon from the heap, "touch me..."
            Mephisto replaced the bedframe with Amaimon's shoulders and
massaged the skin round his neck. His partner gave a lazy moan until the hands
were taken away.
            "There's plenty more of that if you're willing to confess."
            "You did it," whined Amaimon, twisting back to look at him. "You
know you did it. Squeeze me just there..."
            Mephisto put a halt to his thrusting, "I'm not in the mood for
this. I'd only like to shag the cares away and sleep like a pig. Can you do
that much for me?"
            Amaimon stared at the body pillow beside him. It must've been
Mephisto, he was just trying to keep suspicion off himself. Perchance he was
playing innocent to keep Amaimon coming back. He needed to persuade it out of
him.
            "Brother, I want you..." He displayed his body like the girls
surrounding him. "I want you to touch me with your tongue. Come here, lick my
mouth..."
            Mephisto remained unresponsive as the demon turned on his back and
exposed everything that enticed him. Amaimon groped his neck with trembling
fingers as he leaned his head away in offering. He rested his leg on Mephisto's
shoulder in attempt to convey just how unsteady he was at the moment. His
entire body shuddered from exhaustion, on the verge of slipping over the edge.
            "Brother," purred he. "Come here. Come and make me feel good. Tease
me until I come..."
            Mephisto shook his head in slow movements.
            "I can't stand it. I need you to touch me right now, or I'll do it
myself."
            "If you're so eager, admit it."
            "I didn't do it."
            "You're the only other one capable of entering their room at night.
What was your argument going to be, their friends abducted the yen like a magic
trick?"
            "You know your mobile's ring is loud, don't you? I heard you
talking about what happened to their yen. You're already buying the pots back
with it."
            "O my dear brother, that was to lessen their worries. I knew you'd
taken it; stealth is such a difficult card for you."
            Amaimon blinked as he thought to himself, "Right. I did take it."
            The other gave a wide smirk, "Here I come."
            Amaimon's remaining leg was propped up as well as Mephisto came
down and locked him in an upturned squat. He swabbed the inside of Amaimon's
mouth, slamming in to his rear with as much meat as he could fit. The lower of
the two trembled under the pressure and gripped Mephisto with what strength was
left in his arms. He moaned to his brother and kept having to break the kiss to
inhale, which was quickly started up again as Mephisto was unwilling to quit.
            "Brother-" he begged.
            Mephisto bent his arm round Amaimon's leg to handle his loins. He
gripped the hot mass and squeezed, rising and sinking one finger after the
other much like if he were tapping a desk.
            "Ah- Ahh!" He laid at the complete mercy of Mephisto.
            "Honour me."
            "Brother," Amaimon managed to obey in the heat of things.
            "More."
            "Ah! Brother, A-Ahh!" He gasped, "Oh, that's good. Brother, I love
it... I-I'm..."
            Amaimon bawled his appreciation as he tried to breath, decorating
the both of them with his matter. His brother gave his forehead a kiss and went
to lap what had been deposited. His body was left to unravel as Mephisto
carried on. In an instant, Amaimon readdressed his appetite to Rin, now that
his brother would leave him alone. If Mephisto hadn't taken the yen, and
neither did he, it must've been Rin.
 
 
            It was the end of the week and the day before their last vending.
There was a noticeable tension floating about the Cram Class; people fidgeting,
going over lists of items, constant questioning of what the total amount they'd
earned was. Rin tapped his pencil's eraser on the table. Now that Yukio was in
the clear, he would make certain to keep it that way. No more accidents. No
more slipping up and causing suspicion. Mephisto had half the yen the whole
time? Good, he could have it: Fewer struggles for the rest of them. Only one
market day left and only one more report to give to the guy, after that they'd
be home free.
            "Hey, Rin!" Ryuuji called from the back.
            He turned round and mimicked, "Hey, Suguro!"
            "You gonna make enough to end this thing, or what?"
            "I don't know, maybe if you were better at dancing we'd get some
extra donations."
            "Don't start that, it's not funny anymore!"
            Shima admitted, "It won't ever not be funny."
            The instructor calmed the lot, "Everything is under control with
that. Let's begin the lesson."
 
            Rin exited the class and turned down the hall. He wondered when
Shiemi would be free for the three of them to view flowers...
            "Hey."
            Rin looked up to find Amaimon farther along. "Fucking, you stay the
fuck away from me!"
            "Come here," He started a slow creep to keep the boy's guard off,
then was swift to take Rin by the arm and pin his stomach to the wall.
            "Let go, you fucking pervert!"
            "Very clever," he murmured into Rin's hair. "You actually made me
think it was Mephisto for a moment there. Your demonic ways are shown through
your tricks."
            "Dude, what the fuck are you even talking about?"
            "The missing yen, of course, the missing yen."
            Rin felt Amaimon tighten his hold on him. "Are you mad, you idiot?
I didn't take my own money! Mephisto is totally lying to your face! That's the
kind of guy he is, sorry to break it to you!"
            "I know for a fact it was you. Lying won't help anymore, so quit
taking me for a fool. You knew Mephisto would punish me if I took it, didn't
you? You want to keep me away."
            "Um, yeah, I'm glad we've finally got that settled."
            "I've decided to grant you a favour. In return for your assistance,
I'll keep this to myself and take the blame."
            "Fuck you! Never speak to me, or stalk me, or think about me
again!"
            Amaimon forced their bodies together for greater impact, "I don't
need to take that blame."
            "Hey listen, jackass, Mephisto told us he was using the yen to
repay the porcelain. How do you expect him to do that without yen? He's fucking
pranking you! Now get the Hell away from me!"
            "He said that to shut you up. He thought I took it, so he gave you
a reasonable explanation as to where it went."
            Rin fought his restraint. "He could totally being pranking you
about that too! You really are an idiot! A fucking ditz ninny!"
            Amaimon clawed Rin's mouth shut with a free hand. "I've made
sacrifices for you, Rin. My dignity and well-being is constantly being tampered
with for you, you know that?"
            Rin blanked, and simply swallowed in all his anxiety.
            "I hope this doesn't falter our friendship. I'd like to show you my
true feelings for you one of these days. In fact, actually, we can get away
right now. It could be a way to express your gratitude towards me."
            Rin yanked his arms free and shoved himself off the wall, pushing
Amaimon back. He spun on his heel and punched the demon in the throat, slamming
him into the opposing wall. Rin ran over and threw more fists at him, screaming
in frustration as tears dripped down his cheeks.
            As Amaimon went invisible, Rin kicked where he last saw him as hard
he could, slamming his foot into the wall where he must've escaped. From along
the hall, Yukio exited the classroom.
            Rin sniffed and rubbed his face clean as his brother called, "Rin?"
            "Hey, Yukio..."
            "I thought you would be gone by now. Was that you screaming?"
            "Yeah, I just... needed to kill this spider."
            "Be careful of the property please. I need to get back to work now.
See you tomorrow."
            "Or later, since your workload isn't as much as it used to be." Rin
stood as Yukio returned to the class. "And because we always seem to stay up
talking all night now..."
 
            Konekomaru gathered everyone together for a final meeting before
the last market day. They grouped wherever there was cool air, as the weather
kept getting hotter with the end of the month. Izumo brought the notes she'd
been keeping for reference, Rin came with a memorised yen amount after he'd
returned from the dorm to count, Ryuuji brought a notebook for new plans, and
Shiemi didn't own a mobile so Rin went to fetch her. The Cram students hunkered
down to get business done.
            "So," began Konekomaru, "How much have we made as of yesterday?"
            "Not counting what the Chairman took, we have 754,294.46 yen," said
Rin.
            Ryuuji scoffed, "You counted all that?"
            "Sure did!" Rin went ahead and mocked himself.
            Izumo took note of their earnings and calculated the number of pots
they were able to repay. "For the smaller porcelains, we can pay back 20. But
depending on how old they are, we'd only be able to pay back 2 at most."
            "Right," Konekomaru held his head.
            Rin groaned for everyone and flopped to his back from his seat on
the floor.
            "There's no way we're picking up slack in one day," said Ryuuji.
            "Okay," Shiemi clasped her hands. "There are June festivals coming
up, maybe we can continue the vendors there?"
            Shima, cross-legged and leaning back, shifted his weight from one
arm to the other, "That's an idea."
            "Let's start our own food cart," suggested Ryuuji. "Since Rin's
cooking is so top demand."
            "I'm in," said Rin. "You got a food cart?"
            "Stop," Konekomaru gestured for the lot to keep calm. "Now let's
not fight over this, guys. We know there's at least one festival coming up that
takes place around here, why don't we research that and see whether vending
there is even an option."
            Izumo investigated the festival organiser's webpage. "So, here's a
map." She turned the screen so everyone could take a peek, "It looks like all
the positions are filled, but maybe we could walk the isles and advertise."
            "That's an idea," said Shima.
            Shiemi asked, "Are we not talking about food carts anymore?"
            "It's in the air," answered Konekomaru, "I just didn't want them to
start fighting again."
            "We were barely fighting," Rin scratched his neck.
            "So you'll do it?" Ryuuji leaned in from his position on the
ground.
            "I said I was in!"
            "If that's what you want to do," Konekomaru shouted over the two.
            Izumo blinked at their idiocy, "You want us to parade a cart
through the festival? No thank you, I'll spare my dignity."
            "After the festival," Shima reminded the frenzied lot.
            "Why don't we get in groups of two," Konekomaru then counted heads
to make sure that would come out even. "Yeah, and plan which isles each group
should occupy."
            "Good idea," Rin said as fast he could, "I call Shiemi!"
            "Okay," Izumo browsed her alternatives. Then, she remembered there
was a member of their group missing, "I'm with Sensei."
            "Heh," Shima inaudibly applauded her move. "I guess I'll pair up
with Bon."
            Konekomaru turned to the festival map, "Well that settles that-"
            "Miwa," inputted Rin, "You wanna join my group?"
            "What?" He contemplated the mess he'd put himself in. "Have I
miscounted?"
            "I think you forgot Yukio." Shima bluntly stated.
            "Oh no," he corrected, "I've forgotten myself."
 
            That night, after returning to the dorm for the second time, Rin
made sure to head straight to bed. No more late night talks with Yukio,
something always went wrong. He knew the group had designated him the plan
carrier, but Yukio could wait until morning, right? Like he was going to
remember the plan after sleeping anyway.        Rin laid staring at the roof of
his bunk. He wasn't tired. This was just what Yukio wanted, for him not to
sleep and need to talk about something. It was all a trick. Rin turned to his
side where he usually fell asleep almost instantly, but nothing happened. It
was hot, and even though his sheets were crammed at the foot of his bed, and
his pyjamas were skimpy as fuck, it was hot. The fan had been put away
somewhere since last fall, but maybe he could go get it.
            Rolling off his bunk and coming into close contact with the floor,
Rin removed himself from the room and journeyed the dark for the storage
closet. He considered sleeping in the freezer before finding the fan and
carrying it back.
            As it blew at his face he hummed in to it, listening to the gaps in
his voice. It was warm air, but at least it was something. The cord wasn't long
enough to place it by his bed, so Rin stood over his desk. He turned his head
to get some air on all sides of it. When he found it was drying his sweat
pretty well, he turned his whole body and had everything pampered. His arms
were raised to get some air flowing places, no one was watching.
            A dark figure rammed into the window and forced it open with a hand
twice his size, breaking the lock and shattering glass. It wriggled itself in
and took hold of him in a matter of seconds as if Rin were nothing more than a
doll.
            "Where is the yen?"
            Rin sniffed out Amaimon, "Mephisto has-"
            "You want to remain safe? Let me give it to him!"
            "I don't-"
            Amaimon squeezed the boy, "Where is it? Is it hiding in this room?"
His legs grew to match his hand as he ransacked the place, dragging Rin along
with him. The mattresses were torn and thrown from the bedframes; the drawers
were yanked from their sockets; he threw the chairs behind him, letting them
smash against the wall as he rummaged through the desks. Rin was screaming to
have him stop but the noise of his destruction was too loud. Papers and
personal items were shoved aside as he searched shelves; and the fan was ripped
from the outlet with a blue spark, under the beast's hand it was crushed and
thrown away. The jar of donations under Yukio's desk was spotted and seized in
a moment's notice.
            "Stop, I said stop!"
            Amaimon held the nose of the jar with his claws. "You lied to me
and took me for a fool."
            "Stop, stop," Rin saw what the demon had found and immediately
burned the atmosphere round him in a bright flame.
            Amaimon raised his arm and hit the boy's head on his ceiling,
producing a hole and vaguely stunning Rin.
            "I will not be teased, your friendship with me has been weakened,
Rin."
            "You fuck-head stop! Get out of my dorm!" He exerted an opposing
force on Amimon's grip and roared himself free, slipping under the demon's
extended arm and gathering his kurikara.
            Before Amaimon could slam the fist he'd made down upon him, Rin had
already hurdled to the side. As the green hands threw their weight about in
attempt to snatch the light, the sword pricked them, unable to get a decent
slice.
            Rin did his best to dodge as he whipped the weapon round. He wanted
to get close enough to cut straight through the demon and get him the fuck out
of there, but his new hands took up so much space. He hopped to the side and
used the wall to kick off as he hurled in direction of Amaimon. Arms above him,
he readied to make an attack.
            At that same time, Amaimon was in the process of turning to keep
Rin in his sight. By the time he'd made the correct rotation, he had trouble
retaining balance and flung his hands towards the desks for support, pushing
Rin in mid-air and propelling him out the broken window. The far screaming took
him by surprise for a moment, but circumstances added in his head, and Amaimon
knew he must've removed Rin by accident. Amaimon shrank to more human-
appropriate features and lugged the yen jar out the window after his half-
brother.
            "Ahh," Rin squirmed more out of frustration than anything. He
rolled downward through the hot air, hoping he'd land somewhere flat. His limbs
were outstretched to try and steady himself but it hardly changed anything in
the short amount of time he had. Not long after he left the dormitory, he came
face to face with the ground, skidding and whipping onward.
            When he came to a stop, Rin jumped to his hands and knees before he
could distinguish whether they were still attached, and scurried himself to his
feet as he darted back to the building. He jumped to the dorm room window but
Amaimon had left by then. He hooked an arm round what was left of the window
and leaned away from the building, hoping to pick up a scent.
            "Where'd you go, bastard?"
            "Rin," Amaimon shouted from below. "Rin, can we just talk?"
            "Give that money back!" He dove from the sill and threw his arms
back as before to slice the demon in half for real.
            "I thought you'd say that." Amaimon rested the jar and bent his
legs to ready himself. As Rin's blade came down, he bumped the boy's wrist and
redirected the blow. He and Rin crashed together and rammed a depression in the
ground, displacing cement in the shape of their landing.
            Rin raised his head from over Amaimon's shoulder and sat up on him,
quickly smacking a hand reaching for the back of his neck. Straight after that,
he was shoved off. He rolled to his back but quickly got up to continue the
attack.
            "Rin, hear me out though."
            "Bastard, give my money back!" He shouted as his kurikara whipped
down.
            Amaimon hopped back to avoid the matter, then scampered over to
collect the jar, darting left and right in an awkward fashion to keep away from
Rin's constant slashing.
            "Get away from it! Stop coming back here, I fucking mean it!" He
was able to beat Amaimon to the jar, and stood with it between his legs to
guard the yen with his body if he needed.
            "Rin, stop," Amaimon backed to a safe distance. "I don't care that
you hid the yen from me, I'll forget about it. But Mephisto wants it now, and
if you truly care about your well being, I highly suggest you hand over the
container."
            "I don't give a damn!" Rin cried, "If you take my money, I'll make
life a living Hell for you!"
            "Oh, Rin," Amaimon straightened his posture. "After I return the
yen, circumstances will get better. It was wrong of you to lie and cause a
disturbance, but I can forgive a simple mistake. Once I've returned the yen to
Mephisto my pride will be restored and I'll leave you be."
            "You can't have it, and besides, it's going to him anyway! This
whole thing is stupid; he came in and took the money himself! He has the
remaining cash, not me! I never had!"
            "Stop," Amaimon trudged onward, "lying to me."
            "Come on then, come on!" Rin prepared himself as he taunted.
            The demon stopped himself and took a heavy breath. "Rin, give me
the container, right now."
            "If you want him to have it, let me give it to him once we've
earned enough! Why do you think we've been keeping it for so long?"
            "He wants the yen now."
            "Well he can't have it!" Rin barked as he closed in a few steps.
            "I'm going to be civil with you." Amaimon brought his hands
together as if he was trying a new set of mind, "You hate me, and you want me
to leave you alone. I can do that for you, if you'd only hand over the yen. Let
me take it to Mephisto and I won't trouble you anymore."
            "No, bastard! I said no!"
            "You want me to forget about you!" He reminded loudly, "That was
your idea! If I can't return the yen, I'm going to keep seeing you until I'm
able to!"
            "Why do you need to fucking do it? I'm going to give it to him
personally once we've earned the exact amount he wants! What don't you get
about that, you stupid piece of shit?”
            "You wanted me to leave, so you told Mephisto I stole the yen so I
would be too occupied with him to see you. However, you never considered I
would come to retrieve what you claimed I hold. That's where you're weak, Rin,
you didn't really think that through."
            "Shut up!" Rin swung the weapon to scare him and retreated to the
jar.
            "Party foul," he frowned in mockery. "So hand it over."
            "I never lied! I never told him shit! He told Yukio over the phone
that he had it, he said he took it while we were in class or some shit! That's
what Yukio said!"
            "Yes, you said that before."
            "Mephisto has the rest of the money! Whatever he told you was a
prank so you'd be able to try to get in my trousers again!"
            Amaimon considered things in silence.
            "You will never be there, so fucking stop trying! Whatever shit
you're going through right now with Mephisto is not my problem! Fix it
yourself, and leave me alone!"
            The demon bit a fingernail, "I'm going to believe you, Rin. If I
find out he never had the yen, things will be very different between us."
            "I don't care, get lost already!" Rin picked up the jar and stabbed
in direction of his rival, moving towards the building so he could get back to
his room.
            "You forgot, I still need to take the yen to him."
            "Like fuck you do!" Rin kept his sword pointed at the demon as he
walked.
            "He thinks I have it, so I need it to give back."
            "Leave me the Hell alone! I said get out of here!" Rin put the jar
aside and ran to the demon, slicing the kurikara about.
            Amaimon blocked the thing with his claws and made his way backward
until he hit a railing, at which time, he kept Rin occupied with his arms as he
kicked the boy's stomach. Rin stumbled off but kept a tight grip on his weapon,
throwing it onward once again as Amaimon relaxed his leg. The demon attempted
to dodge the blade by taking sidesteps along the rail, but was cut down his
shoulder with an agonising sting. He hollered and instantly set his eyes on the
unprotected jar. With no time to waste, he blended with his surroundings and
booked it for the money.
            Rin could smell Amaimon's leaving body, and chased blindly after
it, suspecting he would eventually head for the jar anyway. As soon as the
earnings began to levitate and head in the opposite direction, he knew Amaimon
would try an escape. Rin gained speed and did all he could to keep from getting
too upset, lest he let his emotions take control of his performance. He jumped
over the dorm after the jar and hopped along the rooftop after it.
            "Give that back," he bellowed into the night.
            The jar took a long leap from the shingles and drifted over to a
bridge where it continued to run towards the Academy. Rin did the same, and
after landing he carried on leaping frontwards to try pouncing on it. With the
donations jar being so heavy, he was able to catch up, but upon grabbing for
it, Amaimon elbowed his chest. Rin could barely feel the blow in all his
excitement, and went for the money nevertheless, skimming the lip with a finger
just before the jar took off once again with a skyward hop. The boy tripped
over himself and looked about for the jar, unable to spot it in direction of
the Academy as before. He redirected his sight down the other end of the
bridge, and found Amaimon had taken a jump backward to throw him off, now
running straight for him.
            Rin imagined Amaimon would take another leap to avoid him, and so
slashed just above the demon's head as he came close enough, hoping he would
jump straight into it. Amaimon's invisible form skidded to his rear and came to
a stop at Rin's feet. The boy gave the figure another blow to the head, trying
to catch him in time, though Amaimon found it easier just to go through him and
pushed himself through Rin's legs. The boy tumbled to his back and quickly
found he'd had the wind knocked out of him, unable to take a breath and
panicking for it. He could hear the yen rustling about as Amaimon took off,
unaware of his situation.
            He tried rolling over anyway but his lungs were so stiff that they
seemed to snap with every slight movement. He knew he had to return the yen to
Yukio's desk where it was meant to remain un-stolen until otherwise noted, but
his muscles were unresponsive and felt heavy as fuck. Rin laid in stupor for
what felt like half of an hour. By then, his breathing had begun to start back
up, and he found it comfortable enough to get to his feet. Without a second to
lose, Rin ran for the building in the distance, presuming Amaimon was heading
for the Chairman's office.
 
            "Thank you," said Mephisto from a chair. "Put it down over there."
            Amaimon did as he was told, resting the jar next to Mephisto's
wardrobe. Earlier he had ripped the Donations sign from it to have it appear as
though it was his own, and rubbed the glass against himself to rid of any scent
from Rin's dorm.
            "Silly thing, keeping what you've stolen in a jar. As if you have
any use for yen yourself."
            "Well, I thought you'd need it for your porcelain."
            "And I do." Mephisto agreed, "You're very considerate for a crook.
So tell me, why did you make that move, eh?"
            "As long as we're still being accessible, I stole the yen because I
wanted to please you and drive Rin mad."
            "You know he works hard for that yen, and I really don't need it so
soon that the amount would be as low as it is. But money is money; I'll accept
your offering. Don't disobey the rules any more, got that?"
            "Yes, brother."
 
            Yukio came in to his and his brother's room and removed his shoes
at the step. In treading onto the hardwood, he saw the place in tatters from
the light out the window, which was also a mess. He couldn't see Rin in his
bed, had he left the dormitory after a fit? Yukio started to pick things up as
his brother jumped onto the windowsill.
            "Rin," Yukio jumped a bit, "What happened here?"
            "Nothing okay?" He shouted as he climbed down from his desk,
"Mephisto wanted more money so he sent Amaimon to get some more!"
            "Amaimon stole our donations?"
            "He just didn't know where the money was, so he trashed everything!
You'd do the same thing, probably, only you'd leave a note telling them you
were sorry." He put the Kurikara away and doused his flames.
            Yukio put a hand to his head, "You're telling me Amaimon came in
here, while you were sleeping, and took our donations to Mephisto?"
            "Hey, great idea lets tell the same story over and over again
instead of cleaning up and doing something about it!"
            "And you ran after him?"
            Rin carried handfuls of crap back to his cupboards. "Of course I
did, I'm not just gonna let some creep come in at night and take our money!
What do you take me for?"
            "I'm sorry, Rin." Yukio tried to breathe, as the situation kept
getting hotter.
            "Who cares, it's not like we weren't going to give the money to
Mephisto later anyway. This just gives us one less thing to do once this is
over and done with."
            "Didn't Mephisto promise us this would never happen again?" The two
of them put things back in order after Yukio turned the lights on.
            "We don't have a jar anymore, but we can use something else. Glass
is so last year anyway. We could use bento boxes for that matter. I bet there's
some kind of something here we could use, I'll go check in the morning. It'll
be like a scavenger hunt. I was meaning to clean my side of the room, weren't
you?"
            Yukio smiled to himself, glad Rin was taking this fairly well
considering the state of mind he'd been stuck in for the past month, whether or
not it was all sarcasm.
 
 
            The next school day was unattended as the two of them stayed home
to sleep. They'd stayed up cleaning until the early hours, and it hadn't seemed
like they would be able to stay awake for a whole school day. Later on, Yukio
left to take care of work and begin Cram Class, which Rin went to as well. The
others expressed their concerns and wondered what had gone on last night,
partly not wanting to hear about it. Must've been something concerning the
market or festival plans, and bringing it up would only cause a commotion with
Rin. He was definitely fighting something that much was certain.
            "Did you sleep well?" Shiemi asked from beside him.
            Rin stared at the table. "Yeah, thanks for asking."
            The girl smiled and looked onward once again, not wanting to push
anything more out of him.
            "Hey," he turned his head and spoke slowly. "Did you want to view
flowers with me and Yukio?"
            "Um," she didn't want to deny the invitation, but he looked so
tired and out of sorts she didn't want to make him get up and walk about. Maybe
he needed a break from the vending atmosphere. maybe this was a good idea.
"Yes, I would love to!"
            "Okay, great." He hung his head again.
            Shiemi creased her mouth and hoped her judgement hadn't failed her.
            The teacher passed papers to everyone and instructed the students
to fill them out accordingly, telling Rin to sit properly. Everything was quiet
with some scratches of pencils. On occasion, someone would sniff. Someone close
to the head of the class. Someone who'd recently agreed to look at flowers.
            The blonde took out a handkerchief and dabbed her nose, trying to
keep quiet. The downward angle of her face invited things out, and writing
silently became a hassle as she took frequent measures to keep things in.
            "Are you going to be all right when we're flower viewing?" Rin
asked.
            Shiemi nodded.
            "Are allergies bad this year?"
            Shiemi shook her head and worked harder to prove it.
            "When are you gonna be free? You wanna do this after the last
market day, or when?"
            "Rin," the teacher ordered him to remain silent.
 
            As the Cram students were leaving, Shima tried to keep their
spirits light by mentioning little things that were somewhat relevant and good
to hear.
            "So, exorcising hasn't been much of an issue since our last
encounter, eh?"
            Ryuuji agreed from the other side of the doorway, "Yeah, it's
easier to concentrate without having a demon on your back all the time."
            Rin squinted at all of them. Suddenly feeling disconnected from his
friends, as though they all knew about what he'd been dealing with and were
mocking him about it. It was a dumb concept, but the feeling was so persuasive.
He actually lost all interest in viewing flowers with Shiemi. Just like that.
He didn't know why, but everything just kind of fell from beneath him in that
second, and nothing seemed worth doing. Walking home, eating dinner, sleeping,
waking up... What was the point, why did he care? So his friends could be done
with the market? They'd still have to earn more money for what they wouldn't
earn on time. It was like an endless pit of debt, and Amaimon was going to keep
playing his stupid game until the debt was repaid. Where was the bell to be
saved by? Someone might as well take their shovel and start burying him in the
grave already.
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