Rin sighed as he and [Y/n] finally finished moving the piles upon piles of stacked papers from one side of the temple to the other. All this damn grunt work was getting on both of their nerves. After the initial weight of their heavy-hearted conversation drifted off, the pair were back to their old selves and, while [Y/n] felt a little more relaxed having gotten everything off of his chest, Rin was quietly beaming at how much closer he felt they had gotten.
Letting out a tired breath, [Y/n] reached up to take his headband off, feeling a rush of relief as his [h/c] hair flopped down over his sweat-covered forehead. The damn heat was a killer. Wiping away his sweat, [Y/n] pocketed his headband before getting back to work, unaware of the strange look Rin was giving him at the sight of his hair down. Not that [Y/n] thought anything of it. After all, Rin had seen him with his hair down plenty of times.
"Psst! You two!" Their quiet company and silent musings were pulled to an abrupt halt when they heard a whispered yell from behind them. Turning in confusion, the two boys looked back to see an older man standing half-hiding behind a screen door that led out to one of the rock gardens. "Could you give me a hand over here, boys?" He asked, gesturing for them to follow him as he stepped out into the garden. [Y/n] and Rin shared a confused look, as did Flor and Kuro, before they ultimately shrugged and decided to follow. After all, it wasn't like they were doing much else of value.
"Sure?" [Y/n] replied, moving toward the garden with Rin and their familiars in tow. Stepping into the sunlight, he finally caught a good view of the man; he was older than the exorcists they had met earlier and was dressed in black and yellow monk garbs. He was bald with two short eyebrows and a moustache to match. He also appeared to have some unkempt stubble and a missing tooth. "So what do you need help w-?"
"Aww, yeah! Watermelons!" [Y/n] was cut off as Rin suddenly bound past him, dropping to a squat as soon as he noticed the two bright green watermelons floating in a bucket of cool water. [Y/n] couldn't help but chuckle slightly at the sight of both Rin's and Kuro's eyes practically sparkling. He quickly noticed that Flor was eyeing the watermelon much the same way. Strangely, the older man nervously shushed Rin as soon as he started excitedly rambling.
"Do me a favour, if ya slice 'em up and hand 'em out to the injured, you can have a couple of slices for yourselves." He offered, flashing them both a soft smile. [Y/n] raised a brow in confusion, wondering why he wouldn't just do it himself, but opted to shrug it off, placing Sema's case on the ground as he rolled his sleeves up.
"Fair enough."
"You got it! I'll slice them up good!" Rin grinned, his tail waving rapidly from side to side excitedly as the thought of sinking his teeth into that bright red fruit filled his mind with bliss. At the sound of the older man's shock, [Y/n] glanced back to see him staring at Rin's tail with a look of shock and confusion, clearly taken aback by it. Eyebrows furrowing, [Y/n] faked a cough.
"Problem?" He asked in a not-so-subtlely angry tone. Shooting a quick glance from the man to Rin's tail and back. At the sight of the younger man's defensive glare, the older man put his hands up.
"O-Oh, none at all!" He stammered, rapidly shaking his head. [Y/n] didn't believe him in the slightest. But... Judging by the smell of him...
"Kuro's right. This guy smells hammered." Flor announced, pretty much confirming [Y/n]'s suspicions that the smell coming from this man was, in fact, the same cheap-ass beer that Shura always rushed through whenever he'd seen her drink.
"Yeah..." Rin breathed out quietly, most likely agreeing with Flor and Kuro. "Yo, have you been hittin' the bottle? That ain't very monkly." Rin mused, leaning down to pick up one of the watermelons.
"It's also like two in the afternoon too." [Y/n] added, flashing a quick glance to his watch.
"Oops... Busted..." The older man replied awkwardly, scratching the back of his head as he offered the boys a close-eyed smile. "It's so hot I couldn't help myself." He laughed, flashing his damaged teeth in the process. [Y/n] cringed at his drunken laughter but Rin seemed lost in thought at the sight, almost like his eyes were flashing with familiarity. After a moment of quiet, a soft smile found its way to Rin's face.
"A degenerate holy man. You're the same as my dad was." He laughed quietly, slicing into one of the watermelons while Kuro and Flor practically drooled. [Y/n]'s eyes widened for a moment as he suddenly remembered how Rin and Yukio told him their priestly father, Shiro Fujimoto, was more than a little fond of the bottle himself. As the initial shock wore off, his lips tugged up into a small smile.
"Well, that certainly explains where Shura got her taste from." [Y/n] joked, earning a laugh from Rin in return as he shot back a giddy 'I'll bet'. At the sound of the older man's hearty laughter, they both turned to him.
"I like you, kids." He beamed, nodding along with his arms crossed while looking between them. "So, uh, what are your names?" He asked and [Y/n] instantly saw Rin's smile drop, knowing exactly how he was expecting this man to react. Slicing down into the watermelon with a sigh, Rin replied first.
"It's Rin Okumura." He introduced, not even needing to look over his shoulder to see the look of shock that he knew the man wore. [Y/n] felt his chest sink at the sight of Rin's defeated expression. Letting out a sigh, [Y/n] spoke up.
"And I'm [Y/n] [L/n]." He added, pushing his hair back as he pulled his headband back out of his pocket and tied it around his head, not missing the way the old man's gaze lingered on the headband's emblem for a second too long.
"Really?" The older man breathed out after what felt like far too long. "I've heard of you two..." He tried off, looking from one boy to the others, then to their familiar and back.
"So, when are you gonna tell us who you are?" Rin asked as he finished cutting up the first watermelon, remaining the man that he still hadn't introduced himself yet. At that, the man tilted his head to the side in confusion.
"Who? Me? Didn't I?" He asked, sounding genuinely surprised as if he had convinced himself he already did. Both boys sweatdropped.
"Dude, how hammered are you?" [Y/n] asked with a grimace as the smell of alcohol blasted his nose again. He knew this guy was drunk but he was starting to wonder if he could even see straight.
"Oh, I guess not! I'm Ryuji Suguro's dad!" He introduced with a hearty laugh and a flushed face. Both boys immediately froze at his way-too-casual introduction. After a moment of gawking at the man in stunned silence, Rin and [Y/n] shot forward with wide eyes.
"You're who's what now?!"
"Huh?! You're kidding!"
"No, I'm not. See the resembelance?" He laughed, pointing to himself while the two younger men just deadpanned at him.
"Not really..." Rin replied, his mind flashing to the image he had conjured in his head of what Suguro's parents would look like before it came crashing down with whatever the hell this reality was. "Suguro looks way more cooler." He added at the end tiredly. [Y/n] looked mortified while Suguro's dad just looked curious.
"Ya think?"
"Dude! Don't just say shit like that!" [Y/n] snapped, lightly slapping the back of Rin's head. He was very quickly starting to realise why Rin kept getting into fights before joining True Cross. It wasn't his fists that were the issue, it was his damn mouth. "Sorry about him." [Y/n] apologised, turning to Suguro's dad with a bow while completely ignoring the fact that Rin was sticking his tongue out mockingly behind him. At the sight of their playful bickering, Sugruo's dad burst out laughing again.
"Sounds like you two and my boy get along pretty well, don't ya?" He asked with a wide smile, immediately making [Y/n] and Rin stop in their tracks. The air instantly got tense as memories of the train ride suddenly filled both of their heads. The things they said to him, the things he said to them.
"About that..." [Y/n] started, scratching the back of his head awkwardly as he tried to figure out how best to explain the situation.
"We had a fight." Rin finished, his eyes falling back to the watermelon he had been cutting. As the tension in the air got thicker and thicker, Suguro's dad suddenly started laughing.
"Oh no, you too huh?" He asked with a lopsided smile, causing both boys to share a shocked look before they turned back to him. "Welcome to the club, boys, 'cause he's pissed off at me too!" He laughed, explaining that he and his son weren't exactly on the best terms either. But... Why was he laughing about it? Was that why he was drinking?
"I don't think it's funny." Rin reprimanded, bringing the older man's laughter to an immediate halt. [Y/n] saw the look on Rin's face as he kept his gaze fixated on the ground. And he hated it. He had seen the similarities between Suguro's dad and his... And now he was seeing how they weren't speaking. [Y/n] instantly knew he was hoping that Suguro and his dad wouldn't end up like him and his, ending their time together with an argument. Before being ripped apart forever. [Y/n] placed a gentle hand on Rin's shoulder, rubbing back and forth with his thumb in a bleak attempt to offer any kind of comfort. Though it didn't do a whole lot, the soft smile on Rin's face told him he still appreciated it. "He can be... I don't know... difficult..." Rin muttered out, trying to find the right way to explain it.
"I heard that." Suguro's dad agreed, leaning back to look up at the sky.
"Deep down, I know he's a good guy... I just..." Rin began, trying and failing to find the right words to express what he thought about the man's son. "Wish we could get along..." He finished, trailing off at the end while [Y/n] nodded along.
"It'd be perfect if things between us could just go back to how they were before..." He continued, picking up where Rin left off as his mind flashed to memories of their times together with Suguro, Miwa and Shima. With Bon, Koneko and Shima.
"I know how you boys feel." The older man replied, sighing tiredly as he seemed to get lost in thought. As the trio fell into a still silence, broken only by the sound of Rin cutting watermelon, [Y/n] decided that now was as good a time as any.
"Hey, Mr Suguro?" He began, getting the man's attention. When he turned to him, [Y/n] pulled the folded envelope out of his pocket. Rin immediately perked up at the sight of it while Suguro's dad looked confused. "I have a letter here from the Paladin. I need to talk to you if that's okay. I know now might not be the best time..." [Y/n] announced, trailing off as he awkwardly gestured to the older man, trying to insinuate that he was unsure if he could answer in his intoxicated state.
"The Paladin?" Suguro's dad repeated, scratching his stubble in thought before his eyes lit up in realisation. "Oh, that's right, a letter was sent before saying that one of the youngsters wanted to talk about something. So it's you." He thought aloud, hammering his fist onto his open palm as he had a 'eureka' moment. [Y/n] let out a sigh of relief at the man's reaction. It seemed positive. Which meant that he had most likely already looked into it and found someth- "So, what did you need help with?" He asked, immediately cutting off [Y/n]'s trail of thought as his whole body froze.
"Huh?" He asked dumbfounded, watching the balm man tilt his head to the side in confusion. From behind him, Rin was visibly sweatdropping. "He... didn't explain it ahead of time?" [Y/n] asked, a strained smile on his face that twitched every second he thought about that moronic Paladin. With a shrug of his shoulders, Mr Suguro shook his head.
"Nope. The letter just said you wanted to talk." He replied, crossing his hands over his chest. [Y/n] could hear Rin facepalm behind him.
'That blonde bimbo bastard!' [Y/n] internally screamed, an irk mark appearing on the back of his head that got bigger every single second as that dumbass's clueless face flashed through his memories.
"I'm starting to think that guy's causing you more problems than he's helping you with..." Rin muttered, awkwardly patting [Y/n] on the back as he watched the light slowly leave the other boy's eyes.
"Can I bite him the next time I see him?" Flor asked, tilting his head to the side cutely. [Y/n] was genuinely ready to give him permission to do it. Trying to compose himself, [Y/n] let out a deep shaky breath.
"You're doing this for you and for Rin. You're doing this for you and for Rin. You're doing this for you and for Rin. You're doing this for you and for Rin." [Y/n] repeated to himself, desperately trying to justify him not immediately heading to The Vatican and strangling that moron. As his little attempt at self-affirmation, or rather self-restraint, was happening, he failed to notice the look Rin was giving him. As he heard his name muttered over and over again, he remembered what Shura had told him. How half the reason why [Y/n] agreed to Angel's request in the first place was to help keep him alive and safe. And even now, with their recent talk, [Y/n] trusted him enough to tell him everything. He wasn't pushing him away to have the conversation in private with Sugruo's dad. And he never once turned his back on him. Despite having so many opportunities to leave him behind, he never once even considered taking one.
"You really are the best, you know that?" Rin asked, quiet as a whisper, as his eyes danced over the form of the boy who couldn't hear what he had said. The gentle smile on his face and the warmth in his heart flooded his whole system. And, good god, he loved that feeling. As [Y/n] finally managed to calm himself down enough to think clearly, he lowered himself into a polite bow.
"Please. This is really important." He pleaded, screwing his eyes shut while Mr Suguro stared at him wide-eyed. "I know it's not the best time since you're still tipsy but I need you to tell me whatever you can about Ritsuka Akagawa." [Y/n] begged, almost gagging just by saying that shithead's name. At the mention of Ritsuka, Mr Suguro's brows shot up in surprise.
"Little Akagawa?" He questioned, looking between [Y/n] and Rin in confusion. As he heard the affectionate nickname he gave that bastard, [Y/n] got even angrier. "Why'd you wanna know about him?" The older man asked, genuinely confused since the boy had left the temple years ago. [Y/n] felt a lump form in his throat.
"It's... a long story, but please, tell me whatever you can." He forced out, balling his hands into fists as they hung by his sides. Slowly, [Y/n] rose from his bow. "Please, sir..." He pleaded, audibly gulping. Glancing down with worried eyes, Rin noticed that [Y/n]'s fists were shaking by his sides. Stepping forward without a second's hesitation, Rin gently placed one of his hands over [Y/n]'s clutched one.
"Take it easy." He soothed gently, trying to help the other calm down. Flor jumped in to help too, positioning himself by [Y/n]'s other hand and using his nose to gently open it, letting him rest it on his soft fur.
"Right... Sorry..." [Y/n] replied through shaky breaths, taking a deep breath in and out in an attempt to relax.
"It's okay, you've got every right to be worked up about this." Rin assured, patting [Y/n] on the back with a small smile before turning back to Suguro's dad, who looked more than a little concerned about [Y/n]'s reaction. "Could you just help him with this, please?" He asked, snapping the older man out of his confused daze.
"I mean, I'll tell you what I can but there isn't much to say." Mr Suguro replied, scratching his stubble as he tried to think of anything of value to offer the boy. "The kid used to stay at the temple like any other follower before he suddenly up and left one day." He sighed, trying and failing to remember anything of worth pertaining to the kid. But, unfortunately, he just never really stuck out among the followers.
"Do you know anything about why he left?" [Y/n] asked, desperately hoping to get even a sliver of information out of this whole exchange.
"Not a thing. The kid barely said a word before disappearing." He replied, scratching the back of his head as he tried to rack his brain for anything useful. [Y/n] could feel the hope he had rapidly leaving his body while Rin tried to comfort him. As Mr Suguro stirred in thought, he suddenly burst out laughing. "I still remember how that boy would follow one of the older boys at the temple around." He laughed fondly, reminiscing as memories of days past flashed through his eyes. Just as [Y/n] was about to give up hope of any breakthroughs, Mr Suguro's casual musings hit him like a ton of bricks. "Those big emerald eyes were always so full of wonder whenever he saw the bigger guys work." He chuckled, shaking his head with a fond smile. And [Y/n] felt his whole body go numb. What did he just say?
"'Emerald... eyes...?" [Y/n] repeated, feeling his blood run cold. No... No! That didn't make sense!
"Yeah?" Mr Suguro replied in a perplexed tone, his confusion growing as he looked between the shellshocked [Y/n] and the panicking Rin. "What's wrong? Did I say something?" He questioned, getting more and more confused by the second. Shaking his head frantically, [Y/n] leaned forward.
"A-Are you sure you're thinking of the right person, sir?" He asked, frantically begging that Mr Suguro was wrong.
"Hey, I know I'm a little sloshed but I'm not that bad!" The older man replied, shaking his head as he crossed his arms. With a frustrated growl, [Y/n] stood straight up.
"But that doesn't make sense! Ritsuka has red eyes!" He yelled, his temper rising as a result of his frustration and confusion skyrocketing with every passing second. Rin instantly got to his feet too, trying to calm [Y/n] down before things got heated.
"Red eyes? Kid, are you crazy? That kid had eyes green as grass!" Mr Suguro argued back, refusing to back down that he was right. "I still remember him, the kid was up to my waist by the time he left. He was about seven or eight with a full head of bushy brown hair. And how could I forget that face just covered ear-to-ear in freckles." He listed, ticking literally every other box relating to the boy's appearance, even down to roughly how tall he would have been.
"But..." [Y/n] tried and failed to reply. He tried to come up with something. Anything. But he couldn't. His whole body was frozen. His chest was heavy. His mind was racing at a mile a minute. All he managed to force out was a strained - "What?"
"Are you okay?" Stepping forward, Rin placed a gentle, reassuring hand on his friend's shoulder, a look of concern clear on his face. [Y/n] couldn't even meet his eyes. He was too transfixed on the ground below him.
"I know he had red eyes..." He forced out, desperately trying to make sense of the whole situation. He still saw them in my nightmares sometimes. Time and time again. Replaying the events of that horrific night over and over again. What the hell was going on?
"Then I'm sure they are." Rin assured calmly, knowing all too well the feeling of shock and confusion that [Y/n] was going through. The Sema Dragoon shook his head slowly.
"But he said-"
"I'm sure there's an explanation for it." Rin cut him off gently, turning back to Suguro's father before [Y/n] could respond. "What about Akagawa's family?" He asked, hopeful that whatever information Mr Suguro had on Ritsuka's father could help clear things up. Mr Suguro simply tilted his head to the side in confusion.
"Family? What are you talking about? The kid was an orphan." He replied with furrowed brows and a shake of his head. [Y/n] immediately whipped his head up at that claim.
"What?! No, he had a dad! That's how we met! He and his dad showed up at our temple because he panned to work with mine!" He explained, his panic and confusion getting even worse as he realised that there was yet another layer of deception piling onto the situation.
"I don't know what else to tell ya, sonny." Mr Suguro replied with a shake of his head, offering [Y/n] a look of apology as he shrugged his shoulders. [Y/n] just stared at him, eyes beginning to gloss over, as he let his hands fall to his sides.
"What the hell is going on?" He breathed out, fighting off the urge to scream. Lie after lie. Half-truth after half-truth. Nothing made sense. Even his own memories seemed to be betraying him. But why? Why?!
"Let's try not to think about it right now." Rin soothed, rubbing his hand along [Y/n]'s back in an attempt to calm him down. Just as [Y/n] looked ready to argue back, Rin simply shook his head. "This was way too much for you to take in at once. You need to take a break." He declared, taking [Y/n]'s wrists in his hands and gently lowering them to his sides. [Y/n] took a deep shaky breath. He was right. He needed to calm down. This wasn't doing anyone any good. He heard what Mr Suguro had to say and he got the explanation he had been promised, even if it wasn't the one he had wanted. So, for now, his best bet was to put it aside and focus on the mission. Letting out a sigh, he nodded slowly.
"Thanks, Rin." He replied, flashing the other a soft some once his breathing calmed, which Rin returned tenfold with his beaming sharp-toothed grin. Grabbing [Y/n] by the wrist. Rin pulled him back over to the watermelons to continue slicing them for the injured. As he watched the demi-demon excitedly slice up the fresh fruit, [Y/n]'s soft smile grew across his face. He really was so lucky to know him, wasn't he?
"There!" Rin cheered as he plated up the watermelon onto three dishes, more than enough for the group of injured inside. With a chuckle and a thumbs up, [Y/n] smiled back at him.
"Nice work." He praised, rubbing Flor's head as he watched him and Kuro practically drool at the sight of the melon. As they prepared to take the watermelon to the injured, Rin turned back to Suguro's father.
"Hey! Since this was your idea, wanna help carry them into all the-?" He cut himself as he and [Y/n] turned back to see Mr Suguro scaling the side of the wall. Both boys went wide-eyed at the sight of the old man parkouring over the wall.
"The hell are you doing?!" [Y/n] exclaimed, gobsmacked by what he was seeing.
"Yo, Pops, where ya going?!" Rin added, his expression completely overtaken by complete and total confusion.
"I'm glad I got to meet you, boys! Looking forward to our next chat!" The older man waved back with a laugh, scratching the back of his head before hopping off the wall to the other side, leaving the two boys completely dumbfounded.
"Hey, wait! Why don't you use the door?!" Rin called out to no avail, leaving himself and [Y/n] in shocked silence as any and all traces of Suguro's father practically vanished.
"Suguro's parents are... certainly something..." [Y/n] sweatdropped, thinking of the stark contrast between Suguro's mother and father. It was like night and day. An angel-faced she-beast and a weirdo drunken priest.
"Don't give me that!" An unfamiliar voice called out from a couple of halls over. Seconds later, a screaming match started between what sounded like a whole group of people.
"Is someone else fighting now?!" Rin exclaimed, placing one of the watermelon plates onto his head before running to the source of the commotion with the other two in his hands. Flor followed close behind him with Kuro sat atop his head.
"Why is everyone in the damn temple insane?!" [Y/n] groaned, jumping to his feet and slinging Sema's case over his shoulder as he took off after Rin and the familiars. Skidding to a halt, [Y/n] saw three white-haired girls with snake-like markings arguing with a man with brown hair and a staff practically identical to Shima's K'rik. The situation immediately got worse as the snake women and the monk started screaming at each other more and more.
"I thought the folks in Kyoto were supposed to be more..." Rin began, trailing off at the end as he grimaced at the argument they were having.
"Chill?" [Y/n] finished, blankfacing as he watched them scream at each other. They were literally one room away from the injured and they were pulling this shit? Suddenly, the fight escalated when the monk grabbed his K'rik and swung at the middle woman. [Y/n] and Rin barely had a second to react before suddenly all three of the women summoned Naga, snake-like demons, from their hands. Before anyone could step in, the women sent their snakes toward the monk, coiling around his K'rik and flying past him, instantly bursting through the bamboo wall that separated them from the injured exorcists. [Y/n] went wide-eyed as they flew toward the injured at full speed.
"Watch out!" Rin warned, panicking as he was unable to act with his hands full.
"Flor!" [Y/n] ordered, raising a hand with two fingers pointed up.
"On it!" Flor replied through a growl, instantly bulking up to full size and pouncing forward as he barreled toward the snakes and bit down, catching two of them in his teeth midair. Unfortunately, the middle snake just barely escaped his fangs.
"Shit! The other one got past!" Rin panicked as he watched the Naga fly toward the room of vulnerable injured people. Until suddenly, a familiar voice pierced the air.
"On basara gini hara nenhatana sowaka!" Suguro chanted, performing a sequence of hand gestures as he conjured a yellow magic circle in front of him, stopping the Naga in its tracks and vaporising it on site. "That's enough!" He exclaimed as he stood proud with Shima and Miwa behind him, also making their hand gestures as backup. Both the monk and the snake women froze at the sight of him while [Y/n] and Rin let out sighs of relief.
"Bon?"
"Master Ryuji..."
"We've got the enemy right outside our door! So, now's not the time to be fighting!" He screamed, scolding the older exorcists for their rash actions.
"I-" The monk began, trying to come up with some kind of excuse for his actions, before ultimately giving up. "You're right, I'm sorry..." He apologised, lowering his head in shame. After a moment of silence, the woman in the middle scoffed.
"If you feel that strongly about it, Ryuji, go tell that to your father, the so-called 'Master'." She mocked, side-eyeing the younger man as he listened to her comments. "Instead of behaving as a high priest should, he's a drunk, and the butt of everyone's jokes." She ridiculed, glaring at the younger man. [Y/n]'s mind instantly flicked back to Suguro's father. Granted, her description was accurate but he couldn't have been as bad as she was making him out to be.
"Watch your damn mouth, Mamushi!" The monk snapped, stomping his foot as he whipped his head toward her.
"No, Mamushi's right." Suguro replied, shaking his head as a strange look took over his face. Both the monk and the sisters seemed taken aback by what he said.
"Bon..." Shima breathed out, giving his friend a concerned look.
"Whatever... Just stop fighting..." He ordered, turning on his heel and marching out the door, leaving everyone else in complete silence. As Miwa and Shima followed after him, Rin looked lost in thought while [Y/n] shook his head.
"Flor." [Y/n] called out, gaining his familiar's attention. "Give the morons their reptiles back." He ordered and the Split Wolf nodded in understanding, still holding the dead Naga between his teeth. At the sound of his comment, the woman in the middle, who he now knew as Mamushi, whipped her head toward him.
"Who are you call-?!" She was cut off by Flor's low, visceral growl as he stood tall before her, glaring down at her like she was nothing more than food. As her breath hitched in her throat, Flor released the corpses of the Naga from his grasp, unceremoniously dropping them in front of the sisters before turning toward [Y/n] and shrinking back down to his ordinary size. Letting out a sigh while completely ignoring the women and the monk, [Y/n] took the plate from atop Rin's head, snapping him out of his trance and gesturing for him to follow.
"Let's go hand these out to the injured..."