Chapter 5: The Answer

Rin was burning up. Yukio had to stand back and let the others take care of him. After much heated conversation, he'd agreed he wouldn't go near him as long as the others did what they needed to do to help him if Yukio said anything that they deemed could be followed.

They tried to move him but it wasn't just his forehead. Rin's body was letting off so much heat that any skin accidentally exposure to it got one of them burned. Bon eventually bunched up all the blankets under Rin, dying his skin a little red near his throat as he and Shima took him down the hall to another room.

It wasn't just with him, was it? It couldn't be. They were right in the fact that it could be the room that was open to something though, maybe a virus that attacked demons or something from Gehenna that they just couldn't see.

"Shima, Konekomaru. We're putting a barrier around this room so nothing can get in. Teach, you have to stay out."

Yukio dearly wanted to help but the first thing he had to do was clear his name. He had nothing to do with this and he had failed the last few times he tried to help Rin get better. His friends were here and maybe they could think of something to do. Some doctor he was. Maybe this needed research of a different kind.

"You all have my phone number. Call me when his condition changes. I have a few people I can talk to from the order that are more experienced than me. Maybe they've seen something like this before."

"Do what you want. We'll call. No worries." Bon made sure he was out of the room, putting his hands together and chanting to ward off demons as he watched Shima in the back, doing the same while the girls took care of the circle and Konekomaru watched Rin. He didn't want what happened last time to happen again. Rin had been hurt pretty badly with their last attempt to put up a barrier, though that had been to seal his power.

Yukio shook it off. Sir Pheles hadn't been able to answer any of his questions besides saying that Rin could possibly be doing it because his life was in danger. Those damn flames. If he knew how to use his power he could at least turn it on whatever was attacking him and not himself.

Rin was able to draw on his flame even when the sword was sheathed. He had to wonder if something may have happened to it, though that wouldn't explain why he was only hurting now and then.

Nothing explained it, expect that he was losing control of his powers very slowly, or someone was directing them inward at him, and any attempts to stop the connection left Rin worse off than when they'd started, like with the attempted sealing. It was all very possible, but there were few that would be able to do it, fewer even that would be able to get the blue flame to abide by any common rules, even for demons. Rin wasn't a pushover when it came to raw power.

Yukiko did what he had to do and asked around. There wasn't very much research done on half demon offspring, and those that were done showed nothing of what was happening to Rin. A few had lost control of their powers like he had in the past, but they'd all been stripped of them just fine or they had died as a result.

Turning over paper after paper in the archive under the city streets didn't help him. He knew the academy had a fine set of books themselves but for one person it was a daunting task. If he could help his brother, it was one he was willing to uptake though. That was if Rin didn't get worse in that time.

…

Yukio was shocked when he got back and saw what was left of the group staggering out of the door. Shima dodge around him and his questions with an apologetic smile before skipping off, leaving him alone with Bon.

"Suguro, what's going on?"

"Okumura is going to come with us and stay in the same dorm as Shima. He never got a roommate so there's enough room and we already asked the headmaster if it was okay. We can't be here to watch this place twenty-four seven and, frankly teach, you don't have to go to school when we do. You're staying here while we try this for however long we have to."

Yukio pushed his glasses up. "You really think it's me causing his illness, don't you?"

"I don't know what to think. I know when we're around, Okumura is just fine. Maybe it's the dorm. Maybe it's getting attacedk and we're not seeing it. Maybe you're right and he losing control of his powers. Maybe you're doing something to him and making him sick. I don't know but, like you said, it's getting worse, and that jerk doesn't know what's good for him. And frankly, neither do you. If this helps him, it helps him."

Yukio didn't know how to feel about that but Bon had a point. Rin's health came first and foremost before any research. "Very well, I'd like an update on how he's doing though. I assume I'm still your teacher and you'll still be coming to the cram school."

"Like a homicidal teacher could make us quit. Been there, done that. Don't worry. We're not running from you. I'm not saying you're doing it either. I'm just saying that we're all going to be playing it really close right now. No one knows Okumura was moved so Shima's room shouldn't get attacked unless something is being led there. If that's the case only seven of us know about it, so that cuts down our list of suspects."

"Point taken. I'm saying this now, again. I'm not the one doing this though. If something is attacking him from the outside, or the inside, I still want to help."

"Once we find out more, we'll see."

….

Yukio spent most of his time going over the books, trying to find some president for this. He stopped four days later when, instead of waiting for a call or text from Shiemi, he found Rin in class with the others, looking bored and… perfectly fine.

"Hey Yukio." He grinned, showing off his fang which he always found to be a strange thing to do towards an exorcist. "Sorry about all this, man. They won't let me come back to see you. It's not like they can keep me from class though."

Yukio looked from Bon back to Rin and checked him over as best he could. "Are you feeling all right?"

"Yeah, I'm perfectly fine. I don't know what the big deal was anyway. It was just a fever. I'm kind of a demon, right? Maybe I got some weird demon fever or something. Anyway, it's gone. Why they're being pricks and not letting me come back, I don't. You wouldn't believe how many girls there are though. All over the place, man. I still can't do the classes 'cause the people there just like to tick me off but the rest of it is awesome."

Rin looked and sounded like he really was back to his normal self. He even had his tail swishing around like a happy, frisky cat or something. Yukio let out a relaxed breath, feeling a lot better. Rin was safe. Maybe he had been just sick. Maybe not.

"We'll start class in a minute then. I'd like to test something tonight." He looked at Bon, his eyes only on him because he'd made himself the leader of this pack against him. "You wanted to test if it was his room or the dorm being attacked last time, correct? I'll stay with one of you and sleep in your room for a time then and the rest of you can stay at the dorm with Rin. That should answer most of our questions. We can't solve this matter by just sitting still now that he's well."

Bon looked back at him hard but shrugged. "Fine. Kamiki and I will go back to the door. The rest will stay right where they are, considering Shiemi doesn't dorm anyway."

"You get to decide my every action from now on, huh?" Izumo shook her head but didn't argue with him more than that. "Fine then, but you're not sleeping in the same room as me. I am a girl you know, or did you small brain forget that?"

"Oh shut up! You know I know you're a girl. What kind of problem do you have sleeping with us anyway. It's not like we'd try anything. Shima's staying back. We just want to find out if something's attacking the place. Get your head screwed on straight."

Rin seemed very happy that Izumo was coming. "Don't worry, I can cook dinner and everything. I've never had a sleepover with a girl before. Why not? We can all lay out and do whatever it is you do when you sleep over."

"Rin, this isn't for fun. This is serious. If something is getting into the dorm and we're missing it, it might even be able to kill you or one of us. Sir Pheles should have been able to tell if the barrier was breached, but if someone was letting it in, say another student or a teacher, it can attack any number of people at this school."

"I know that," Rin turned to him, angry with a pouty face. "That doesn't mean it won't be fun to have a girl sleepover. I haven't had a sleepover in forever."

Yukio sighed. Rin had a point but still. This wasn't about fun and games, this was serious.

"I'm sure it won't be any fun with just the three of us anyway. Since you're feeling better, you can stay up with us."

"Sounds great. I'm sure we can think of something to do like truth or dare or something fun. I've never really had a group to play with and I guess three is kind of small. And of course I'd want to get Yukio in on that. Can you see him playing truth or dare?" Rin snickered and Yukiko had to look down as he grew angry.

"Enough of that already, okay? We know what we're doing later and what you decided to do while on watch is up to you since you're not letting me be a part of it. Now let's just start class."

…

Yukio didn't find it hard to go to bed in a new place at all after class and then the cram school, as well as continuing his research on demons, since it was clear now if Rin's flames were acting on their own, it would have happened outside the dorm as well.

He kept thinking on what Sir Pheles said, about Rin doing it because he was in danger. There wasn't much that could really endanger him. He was a demon and even if there was another demon lurking around, why turn on him? It didn't make sense.

He found himself sleeping, thinking all this when his phone rang. In the darkness he reached for his glasses, putting them on and shielding his eyes from the light of the display screen. It was after three in the morning and Izumo was calling him. He picked up. "Yes?"

"It's not you teach, and if it is you, Bon here says that he didn't think you'd be stupid enough to do things this way. He's sick again, though it happen around like, eight. Neither of us saw a demon or anything like that and we've had a barrier up, so that kind of shoots down all our ideas for what it could be. I figured I might as well call you to see if you ever came up with anything."

"Ah, no I hadn't." Yukio sat up in bed, fixing his clothes and going for his jacket. "How's Rin? Any different than before?"

"If you mean is he doubled over in pain and burning like he's on fire, than it's all the same. He can kind of talk though. There is one difference, but I figured you can see for yourself when you get here."

"I'm coming." Yukio didn't take long to dress and he hung up the phone, making sure he had his ammo even if Izumo said there wasn't a demon. He'd be crossing the barrier himself, and he had to hope they'd only put it up to stop demons and not himself.

"Better not be leaving without us."

Yukio turned around, faced with the other two who'd been more or less ordered to watch him, though thinking back, neither of them had taken that role up the same way he would have if the situation were reversed.

Konekomaru pushed his glasses up with a smile. "We figured, since he wasn't getting sick here and it wasn't you that it must be something with the other dorm. We were just waiting for the call."

"I see." Yukio couldn't help smiling back for a moment before he was serious again and turned on his heals. "Come on then. We have to figure out what the hell is going on over there."

It couldn't be Rin's own power, unless it was being affected by the proximity to himself. That was crazy though. Besides, it wasn't like he wasn't with him during the day or class, and he seemed just fine then.

…

Rin was coughing up blood. Yukio was quickly let in with the other two and he went over to his brother where he was holding a stained towel to his mouth and groaning in pain.

Yukio didn't have to actually touch him to feel his fever. There was a thin quiver to the air where the heat he was letting off was starting to affect the room as well. He wasn't sure what more to do than rest a hand on Rin's shoulder for a moment, the clothes not as protective as he would have liked as he let go soon after. "Rin, what's the matter?"

"You're such an idiot," he heard his brother get out, tightening his hold on himself. "If I knew what was wrong there wouldn't be anything wrong."

Rin had a point, in his own way. That still didn't explain why it was worse this time than before. He'd been getting better. If it were a demon and angry that he'd been away it would explain the more violent attack. Since the barrier was still up when he arrived and he was sure they took care to make sure nothing was inside of it, that theory didn't really work.

"We think we know what it is." Bon walked up to him, watching Rin, though he didn't seem all that worried. "We have to wait to test the theory until after he gets better though. Kamiki and I have been talking it over and we're pretty sure we're right."

"What is it?" Yukio hadn't found a thing here and he'd looked, searching even the empty rooms they hadn't touched. What had they noticed that he missed.

"It's because it was so obvious that none of us really thought about it before. That little cat thing that's always around here is missing, isn't it?"

Yukio didn't have to look around to know that he hadn't seen Kuro in some time.

"Okumura's been cooking the food too, right? Moriyama told us a few days ago that he doesn't have to. Since we knew that it wasn't like we went out of the way to make sure you guys had any food. You don't cook. I don't know why but I've never seen you touch a plate and Okumura was pretty dead set on doing it once he'd gotten over that previous attack. Makes me think you can't cook."

Yukio didn't like it being stated that way. He knew how to make a sandwich perfectly well. He wasn't as good as Rin, by far, but he didn't know many that were. "Your point?"

"Well, have you cooked anything?"

Yukio shook his head. "Rin hadn't been up to eat and when he was, he cooked."

"What about for yourself?"

"I don't really eat that much. I might have taken a fruit or something out of the fridge but no, I haven't cooked here."

"That's what I thought. So that person who makes your meals is a demon too, right?"

"Yes."

"And he and that cat thing are both missing, and their both demons."

"So you think something here is attacking any demon it comes across." That was possible. He hadn't seen either of those two but Sir Pheles hadn't stepped in like he had last time. Why? Now that he had to think about it, he said before it was because his familiar hadn't been doing what he was supposed to. He wasn't now either and the head master wasn't anywhere in sight. "This doesn't really make sense though. He was in the barrier so nothing could have attacked him, and this is clearly Rin's power. Do you think he attacked the other two?"

"It's possible, and we did think that too, but that would mean that Satan's trying to possess him. We didn't really think he could do that, though that's another explanation to what's going on. We figured it was something more basic than that. It happened when we were all here and, comparing the times, we think we've got it worked out."

"Are you going to tell me what it is already or keep up this guessing game?"

"I said we weren't sure. Here, move over." Bon scooted past him to kneel by the bed, a glass of water in his hand. "Okumura, you can hear me right?"

"The dead can hear you, you're so freaking loud."

"Perfect. I got this from the tap. I wanna see if anything happens. You think you'll be okay if I hurt you a little?"

"Yeah, I'll be okay. I just owe you a punch after if you're doing this for no reason."

"You're sitting there like a baby and coughing up blood and you're still giving threats. Yeah, you're fine. Come here." Bon reached out and took Rin's arm, holding it over the bed, and poured the water on it. "You haven't showered here for a while, have you?"

"Can't really when I'm stuck in bed, now can I idiot?"

"Oh just shut up already." Bon soaked the floor as he let the water fall down Rin's arm. His voice was quiet and his tone changed as he continued speaking. "It's usually after he eats that he gets sick. The demon in the kitchen I've never seen before, so I'm assuming he doesn't leave much. And I'm sure that cat eats with you guys. There probably isn't a lot of it, and of course none of us would noticed… but if we're right…"

Yukio watched. It didn't take more than a few seconds until Rin's arm turned a bit red, steam coming off of it where his body was evaporating the water.

"Turn over you idiot. I need your other arm."

Rin peeked his eye open at them before he let out a sigh, coughing into the towel as some more blood escaped with the air. "Fine, but you owe me."

"When you're not about to burn down the building we'll talk." They waited as Rin got his other arm out from underneath him and reached it out past the mattress.

Bon lifted a bottled water. "Here. We'll know right now if we're right." He did the same thing as before and Yukio waited. The revelation wasn't what he was expecting. Nothing jumped out at him right away but there was a quiet realization that swept among them. The bottled water simply dripped off his arm, leaving Rin's skin the same color, a portion of it being evaporated with his body heat.

"There's holy water in the water supply," Yukio said slowly.

"Yep. That's what we figured." He let Rin's arm go. "It's why he was effected late at night. You guys eat lunch but it's boxed and at school, so odds are you aren't eating anything with too much water still in it. I'm sure he felt sick after but it was nothing his body couldn't burn off. Actually touching it and drinking it back here is another story. It's why he always got sick at night. It took us a while, but that was the commonality we found between everything."

"Wow Bon," Shima spoke up. "That's pretty smart of you."

"Shut up! I can be smart when I want to!"

"I know, I know," Shima defended with arms raised and a smile. "It's just that none of us were even close to figuring that out and you did it pretty fast."

"And now we have a new question." Yukio stood too, his mood dark. "Who's been messing with the water? It's not like you can get holy water just anywhere, though I'm sure the academy isn't short on it. That means it's likely a teacher." He turned to Bon. "And I'm sure you thought that too."

"Of course I did. If it was you though you would have made sure it was more diluted than this. I'm sure you would have made sure he didn't get sick today somehow too, even if you were being watched. This just doesn't feel all that thought out. If we threw him in the bath we'd know right away, if he didn't evaporate the whole thing."

That brought another slow realization to him. Rin's powers… they weren't hurting him, they were protecting him. That was why the sealing barrier wasn't working. Rin himself was fighting against it because, as his powers were dimming, his resistance was weakening.

"For the time being then, Rin, you should go back to their dorm. Since the water here won't affect me I don't see why we should impose on them anymore than we have to. I'll stay back here and see what I can't find out."

"Like hell. They're after me, right? They'll just find a way to figure out where I am and try something else. We're not just going to leave you to look for someone like that on your own." Rin sat up. It took him a second and he had to lean heavily on his arm as he coughed some more in the towel but his eyes were dead set when they met his.

Yukio sighed. "Fine, but you're getting better first. It's obvious your flames can't keep fighting the holy water off. I'm surprised your even alive, honestly. That much could have killed any demon."

"Yeah, I know." Rin's eyes changed in just the slightest, almost as if there were another color behind the blue. "Can you go see if you can find those other two? There's no way Kuro would have just laid down and died. He was dad's familiar first. You know that's not like him."

"And considering he can't talk to humans I already considered where he was. I don't think Sir Pheles is up this late but there's no way he would have let one of his own get attacked and not done anything about it. I think I'm starting to get it."

Rin frowned at him and Yukio smiled, just a bit, more strain than anything. "We were bait."

"Damn it, that guy needs to get a foot up his ass!" Rin quickly regretted shouting and coughed some more into the towel. Yukio rested a hand on his head, hoping the hair would at least serve as some sort of insulation.

"It's not that bad of an idea. You weren't in any serious danger before now. It makes sense and, from an outside perspective, I can understand it. Odds are, since he didn't tell us anything he's already gotten a lead. We'll talk to him in the morning, after you stop coughing so much. Think of it this way instead if you don't like that reason to rest. If you don't, you won't be able to eat again- or cook. I'll have to make all the meals from you for now on without Ukobach."

…

Kuro was around Rin's neck, nuzzling the side of his head as the twins stared down the head master who did nothing under their gaze besides sit back in his high-backed chair and smile at them, a fang falling between his lips.

"It's not like I was purposely putting any students of mine in danger. There was a threat and I was mealy finding out where it was. It's not like the fact that you're the son of Satan is a secret here anymore. We were bound to have incidents like this sooner or later."

"That doesn't mean you get to keep this kind of important information to yourself. Rin could have been killed."

"But he wasn't now, was he?" Mephisto's grin turned just a bit more snide. "I know what I'm doing, as you do. We were both conducting our own investigations. There's nothing I've done that you haven't, considering I heard nothing about you changing rooms or anything of the like. There could have been more attacks, and on the students now too, who have no way of protecting themselves against demons."

"Like hell I would have let anyone get attacked. They even made sure no one knew it was me! I had different clothes on and everything and they made sure I had the hood up on this sweater even though it was really freaking hot!"

"Calm down. The situation has been resolved."

Rin shut up, though Yukio had already gotten the idea that it had. "You had said was. So who was the culprit?"

"A faculty member here as well as an outside source. We had a rough time tracking them both down. After you and your friends started running around, trying to find out knew what, they bolted. Of course they are being dealt with now. In a few days we can have the dorm back in living condition as well. Until then I suggest you both simply resist bathing and get your food from somewhere else."

Yukio pointed to himself. "Why can't I bathe?"

"Because, Mr. Okumura, we have to make sure all the holy water is removed. That mean's we'll be running tests to make sure there's no residue left over. I'm sure you don't want whatever we decide to run through the pipes on your body."

Yukio would agree to that statement. With Sir. Pheles, it was hard to say how far this would go.

"What about me? Why didn't you tell me you were doing any of this? You think I would have been eating that stuff?" Rin was petting Kuro, that demon cat overly excited to be able to see him again. "And why not let Kuro back! He could have told me and no one would have known."

"You would have told your brother and that would have been enough if we had more than two conspirators in this. As I said, we left it at an investigation. I made sure neither Ukobach or Kuro the cat were hurt. All in all I'd say we were very successful."

"Successful my ass!" Rin turned around and stopped out the door. "Next time you want a guinea pig, pick someone else!" It slammed and Yukio winced at the noise.

"You know, Sir, he does have a point." He turned to the head master. "You could have easily found some way to convey to Rin that you didn't want him to eat or drink anything from the dorm. Getting a boxed lunch from a friend isn't that strange."

"No, but after we figured out it was holy water, we wanted to know just how far Rin Okumura could push logic."

"So you really were just using him."

"Not using, my dear boy. We knew he'd survived. It was very unlikely that he would die, and I'm not unaware of last night. Someone was always watching incase things did start to take a turn for the worst. We were fully prepared to take him out of there if we had to."

"I'm sure you were." Yukio turned around, hard eyes on the door and not turning back. "But know this too. I'm a teacher here and I expect to be told this kind of thing, especially when it relates to Rin. If you ever use my brother like that again, he won't be the only one after retribution."

"I'll remember that."

Yukio closed the door, happy that Rin would be alright from now on and that this incident would have told the rest of the staff that they wouldn't have an easy time making Rin the enemy. That didn't mean he hadn't meant his words in there. There were ways in which he and Rin weren't so different.