This is my first one shot for the blue exorcist fandom, I've only seen the show, so please don't get angry if I mess some details up.

Hands in pockets and sword causally slung over his shoulder, a miserable dark haired figure walked through the cram school halls. Normally the painfully bright colors that contrasted blindingly with one another fascinated him, but he wasn't in the mood to marvel at the oddities life presented.

He had woken up early that morning due to shadowed nightmares plaguing his overstimulated, strained mind. Unforgiving memories leached into his cranium after hours of studying and a brutal argument between him and his brother, which in turn resulted in foul dreams. Rin never did well with little sleep, and after he shook off lingering tremors he climbed up to the roof for some air. Kura then wanted to play, and Rin complied, eager for the distraction. Albeit the two demons rough housing resulted in the black haired exwire passing out in a tree some distance away. He woke hours later to bright streams of sunlight and a wide eyed bird's curious prodding. This instinctively caused a start, and with a choking yelp the cerulean eyed exwire dropped to the hot pavement below. He not only earned a few marks from the taunt, leafy branches, but a serious bruise to his tailbone. (Not his actual tail thankfully) He then discovered it was past lunch and sprinted to his regular classes, arriving just as the dismissal bell rang. That landed him a detention which caused him to be late to Cram school, and the eldest Okumara was livid as he walked into the whimsically colored hallways.

He continued to obediently trudge to his classroom, chain clinking softly as his sword lazily bumped against his leg. "Damn that Yukio, making me study so much. It's a load of shit if you ask me.." He muttered, turning abruptly when he came to the door. Before he could open it, however, he found himself staring into his twins angered face.

Startled, Rin backed up, pulling his hands out of his pockets and raising them defensively. "Hell Yukio!" He exclaimed, cerulean eyes narrowed and a vein pushing in his forehead. He was in too shitty of a mood to deal with his brother's impending lecture. White light flashed across the exorcist's glasses, and he grit his teeth in aggravation. "Where have you been?" He demanded, arms crossing and mood seething.

It seemed both the Okumara brothers were trapped in the sticky clutches of foul temperament, and the result was a collision of catastrophic proportions.

"That's none of your damn business you four eyed mole face, I showed up didn't I?"

That explanation did nothing to ease his little brothers unwarranted concern, which unfortunately happened to be lathered in rage. "This isn't junior high Rin! You can't just skip school whenever you feel like!"

"I over slept you dumbass!" The rebellious twin insisted, trying to move past his brother and into the classroom. Yukio moved to the left and blocked his path, a hand grabbing his shoulder. "Don't lie to me, you weren't in bed this morning."

Rin's pupils dilated in anger, and he jerked away from their contact. "Maybe I would've been if you let me get some damn sleep last night!"

"Maybe you could've slept if you were more responsible!"

That struck a nerve, and Rin was reminded of his latest nightmares. "So this is what your all twisted up about! I'm not you Yukio! I will never be like you!"

"I'm not sayi-"

"Like hell your not! Shit, it's all anyone ever says!"

The glasses adorned brother temper dwindled as it gave way to confusion and growing concern. "What? No one says that Rin-"

The elder's cerulean eyes were wild now, and a touch of sadness glinted solemnly under his narrowed lashes. "Dad did! He wanted me to be like you even though he knew I never could. You know that too Yukio... I can't be like any of you!" Out of breath from his outburst, Rin stared at the ground, remembering his fathers false words from his nightmare. 'Rin your life might benefit if you were more like Yukio. But wait, that's impossible isn't it?'

"Rin.." His calmed brother murmured, wanting to embrace his sibling but wary of his tense posture. His right hand lingered a little too close to the sword, and his left was clenched into a fist. "Did you ever think of me as a monster?" He asked, voice so soft that he was nearly unheard. "Did you ever...really think I could live a normal life?"

Yukio knew that nothing he said would ease his brothers turmoil, the sadness within him too vast to succumb under generic comforts. He also knew that no matter what he said, the result would be the same, and with a forlorn sigh the younger, albeit more mature Okumara spoke. "It doesn't matter what I think, what matters is what you do." Rin's eyes widened, looking up from the floor tiles and into his brothers clear blue eyes. "If you think of yourself as a monster, then you are. Same goes for being a human. It's who you think you are that makes any difference."

Rin's gaze dropped back to the tiled floor and he clenched his fists, furrowed brows showing how he'd swallowed Yukio's statement. The silence that had enveloped the pair was shattered with the sound of a pencil dropping. The two brothers jumped and looked back into the classroom, where the students surprised (and slightly embarrassed) faces stared back at them.

Yukio laughed lightly, rubbing the back of his head as his older brother blushed furiously. "Well... Isn't this awkward." He stated, moving back into the classroom and leaving his brother standing dumbfounded in the doorway. "Well class it seems Mr. Okumara and I had some things to work out, I hope we didn't distract you from your work." Seeing that this did nothing to ease their confused faces, he smiled brightly, considering his next words to be his careless brothers punishment. "Rin has some mental illnesses that keep him from getting places on time. But please, treat him like you would anyone else."

Run swallowed nervously against his initial spark of outrage and blushed deeper, before waving lightly to his classmates and hurrying to his seat. He ducked his head and laughed breathlessly, trying to get over how close he had gotten to revealing his secret. Next time he'd be sure and shut the door.