SUMMARY: When Shura dragged Yukio from his dorm room one snowy night, she also dragged the truth out of him. The barrier of secrets and lies he had woven around his heart unraveled just in time, for the Illuminati's plan is starting to fall into place. Yukio may be ready to start down a new path, but the fate set up for him sixteen years ago won't let go that easily.

Manga canon, Yukio-centric, minor RinShi, possible YukiShura later on

SPOILERS: Through manga chapter 72. The story will diverge from there.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Ao no Exorcist. All characters belong to Kazue Katō.

(Last edit: Oct. 23, 2015)

He got home late as he had for the past month and a half. His experiments drawing out the powers of his eyes had finally been yielding results the past few weeks, but the strain of putting himself in near-death situations was starting to take its toll. He had made a stupid error three weeks before that had resulted in a broken wrist. He was forced to use a ridiculous excuse (falling down the stairs) which he got the feeling was only believed because people were starting to notice how stressed he was. He hid his bruises and cuts under heavy winter clothes, the only reason he could think of to be thankful for the constant snow the past month. It's like a switch had been flipped and winter was celebrating its own arrival with confetti of white.

When he entered the dormitory, he was surprised to find the lights on. Rin was usually asleep when he returned. Yukio froze in the entryway. It wasn't just Rin sitting in the middle of the room, curled under the tonkatsu futon. In fact, somehow, all of the exwires were stuffed under the futon. Plus one fire-haired exorcist lounging on his bed, drinking a beer.

Yukio felt his eye twitch. He had bruised some ribs tonight (or at least he hoped it was just bruising) and really needed to re-do his earlier patch job before crashing.

"Yo! Welcome back!" Rin waved from his spot next to Shiemi.

"I'm home," Yukio responded automatically as his mind was stuck trying to understand why there were so many people in his room.

"Sorry for being here so late, Yuki-chan," Shiemi said with a little bow of the head.

"Yeah, we got a little carried away celebrating. We even managed to drag these guys away from their studying." Rin laughed and pointed to Suguro and Kamiki.

"That is a surprise," Yukio admitted. The exorcist exams were in less than two weeks. He finally moved away from the door to hang up his coat. He tried to hide the stiffness of the motion as pain flared in his side.

"So did you eat? There's still some snacks and cake. We saved you a slice since it's your birthday too you know!"

Yukio blinked blankly at Rin. He glanced at the calendar. Sure enough, it was December 27th.

Rin's grin faltered. "You forgot. Didn't you?"

"It… slipped my mind."

"What?! How does something like that slip your mind?!" Rin yelled in shock, pointing an accusatory finger at him. "Just what the hell have you been up to that would make you forget our birthday?!"

Yukio's jaw clenched. Everyone was staring at him. He fell back on his usual excuse. "I'm just tired," he said with a smile.

He saw a flash of disappointment on Rin's face, but then his vision was obscured by red hair. He instinctively took a step back from Shura's sudden closeness only to receive a light jab from her fingers in his injured ribs. He stiffened, gasping a little from the renewed pain.

"Hoh? Broken ribs this time." She raised an eyebrow over seemingly bored eyes.

"Eh?" Rin jumped up and ran over. "Are you hurt, Yukio?"

The other exwires were starting to get up in concern. Yukio took a step back towards the door, considering making a run for it. "I'm fine!"

"Really?" Shura snorted. And then her hands moved faster than Yukio could track in his tired state, and she lifted up his sweatshirt and shirt.

"What are you doing?!" Yukio hissed, shoving her hands down. But the damage was already done. Rin was staring with wide eyes having seen all the wounds Yukio was hiding. Yukio quickly turned away, avoiding the rest of their eyes.

Shura hummed. "I knew ya beat yerself up a lot, but now ya've graduated ta physically doin' it."

"It's none of your business!" Yukio kept backing up as Shura advanced.

She hummed again. "I wonder 'bout that." And then she jabbed him in the ribs again, this time much harder.

The wind was knocked out of him, and he staggered backwards with a grunt of pain. Spots exploded in front of his eyes and he must have lost consciousness for a moment because the next thing he knew, he was slung over Shura's shoulder. He couldn't find it in himself to move, and just barely over the ringing in his ears, he heard the others talking.

"Alright! I've got what I came here for. I'll be goin' now!" Shura was saying happily.

"But-!" Rin sounded lost. "What is going on?"

"That's what I intend ta find out," Shura said with a tone of finality. Rin must have been hesitating, because then Shura said, "It's probably best if I talk ta him alone, yeah?"

"Y-yeah…" Rin murmured in defeat.

"Okay! I'll get him back ta ya in almost one piece later. Happy birthday Rin!" she said as she turned on her heel. Yukio felt himself swing with her movement, and the action sent a fresh burst of pain through his side. Then there was a blast of cold air, and Shura took him back out into the cold of the winter night.

-oOo-

He must have fallen asleep or lost consciousness sometime during the freezing trek back to Shura's apartment. When he woke, he was lying on a futon with the warm blanket pulled all the way up to his chin. Reddish light shone through the window, indicating dawn and giving the room a warm look to it. He had never been in Shura's apartment before, but as he looked around the small room, it was just as he would have expected. A pile of skimpy clothes in the corner, a shelf of eclectic books and magazines, a pot of cacti and succulents on the window sill.

"Nyaho!" Shura greeted cheerfully, and he turned his head to find her standing in the doorway to the bedroom in her pajamas with a tray of freshly brewed tea in her hands. He wondered at her timing. It was like she knew exactly when he would wake up.

He tried to sit up and grab his glasses as she crossed the room to sit down next to him, but somehow the pain was worse than before. He struggled uselessly before flopping back down on the pillow and glaring at Shura.

"There it is! The murderous glare!" she chirped as if seeing one of the wonders of the world. She poured the tea into the two cups on the tray.

"You…" Yukio wheezed out. It should not hurt that much to speak... His anger became muffled with pain and exhaustion, so he settled for a less accusatory comment. "You eat in your bedroom?"

"Hey, it's only tea. An' I'll have ya know, I'm very careful when I do this. I keep things very clean. No cockroaches or anythin'." She turned to hand him a cup, but seeing his prone state thought better of it. Instead she handed him his glasses, crawled over him, and helped pull him into a sitting position leaning against the wall.

He groaned at the effort and gasped down a healthy lungful of air as his back pressed against the cool surface. He looked down at himself and was surprised to find his shirt unbuttoned and his abdomen covered with bandages. "You… did this?" How long had he been out?

She shrugged. "I may not be a conventional doctor, but I think I did a better job than ya did on yerself. Ya left several nicks on yer back untreated. I think one's infected, which explains yer fever."

Oh. Had it really gotten that bad? It was difficult to apply bandages to his own back, but he had done his best to keep things clean. No wonder he had been feeling extra worn down the past couple of days. "Thanks…" he said quietly and a little begrudgingly. A shiver ran up his spine where it lay against the cool wall despite how hot he felt with the comforter on his lap.

Shura leaned back and grabbed a cup of tea to hand to him. He took it gratefully, warmth seeping through the mug into his cold fingers. She scooted so she sat next to him, leaning against the same wall, their legs stretched out side by side. He waited for the interrogation to start, but Shura sat in silence, sipping her tea once in a while.

Finally, she spoke, but it wasn't the question he was expecting. "How much did Shirō tell ya 'bout my past?"

"Eh?" he couldn't help but make a sound of surprise. He glanced at her and found she was staring at her now empty cup, tracing the edge of it with her fingers. He looked down at his own cup, still full of the warm liquid. "Not much," he admitted. "Father just introduced you as his student whom he had been training for several years before. He said you had things rough as a child, so I shouldn't be surprised by your rough attitude."

Shura barked out a laugh at this. "I'm sure he thought such a good child like ya would have culture shock when we met!" She grabbed the pot of tea and poured herself a new cup. She hummed quietly to herself. "I guess I'll have ta start at the beginning then…"

So she began to talk. She told him of her heritage, of the path that had been laid out for her as a child. She explained how Shirō found her, a shadow of a child with only thoughts of kill or be killed. "The old man took pity on me, or somethin' like that. He was sent to exorcise the demon causing all the deaths in the village, but instead he found me. He didn't know at first. Thought I was just a street urchin beggin' fer food. He treated me kindly – I can still see that laughin' face like he was just there for vacation – an' I didn't know how to react to that. He was supposed ta be an enemy, but… It sounds cliché, but he saved me. I had such a weak heart. I hated the world, an' I couldn't be honest with myself 'bout what I really wanted. My duty was so heavy on my shoulders that I fergot to even ask myself what I wanted. I wanted to be free. Free of all that responsibility. Free to do whatever I felt like doing in that moment."

She took a long sip of her tea. "Shirō gave that to me. He threw me off a cliff an' told me if I could climb back up, he could give me what I wanted." She finally looked at him and he met her eyes easily. He knew where this was leading, and yet he felt so calm in that moment. She smiled perhaps the gentlest expression he had ever seen on her face in all the years he'd known her. The room was bright with morning light shining off of her hair, giving her a halo of orange. "Yukio, ya've been carryin' so much by yerself. Ya've already thrown yerself off the cliff. So will ya let me do fer ya what Shirō did fer me? Will ya let me share yer burden?"

He looked away from her and her brilliance. Instead, he stared at the bandages on his chest and splint she had wrapped around his wrist. He could feel his heart fill with emotion alongside the torrent of blood. Maybe it was time. Shura had trusted him with her painful past; surely he could trust her with this. "There's…" The words stuck in his throat. He closed his eyes and forced himself not to think, just speak. "There's something wrong with my eyes."

The confession hung heavy in the air between them, but she was silent, waiting for him to continue. She sat perfectly still, as if any movement would scare him off. He took a shaky breath, and then the words came pouring out of him. The barrier of secrets and lies he had woven around his heart unraveled. He told her everything about his eyes. The first time during his battle with Tōdō, the second time with Lucifer, and then his experiments each night. He told her what he had observed about it: the blue vision, the fact it only happened when he feared for his life, and the natural fear it invoked in demons. It protected him somehow, making lower and middle class demons turn tail and run.

Finally, he finished and gulped down his cold tea, soothing his dry throat. His ribs ached, and he felt exhausted like he had just run a marathon. He waited, not daring to look at her. He wasn't what she thought he was. He wasn't quite a half-demon like Rin, but he certainly wasn't a normal human. He didn't know what he was. It was the same old questions over and over. What was he? Why were he and Rin born?

"I see," she said finally, placing her tea cup down on the ground beside her with a sigh.

Then she was on top of him with her blade held against his throat. He blinked, not believing his eyes, but the solidness of the metal against his throat told him this was reality. "Sh-Shura-san?" His voice was filled with shock and hints of betrayal.

"Sorry, Yukio. Really. But Light told me ta be on the lookout for someone like ya. I thought he was just exaggerating again, but when I heard yer story I instantly understood. Yer an immortal. Satan's power is keeping ya alive, repelling death from ya. I have to bring you in." Her voice took on an edge he couldn't identify. Panic, or manic? "The Order will need ta see the limit of what ya can do. They will have ta run some tests. Or maybe take one of yer eyes to dissect. Or they might just try ta kill ya. See if there can be more power taken from those eyes. Ya need to come with me."

Somewhere in his dry mouth he found his voice again. "Shura-san? What are you saying? This is a joke right?"

"Not a joke. Not a joke at all! This is the power of Satan!" She had never sounded like this before. This was insane. This was Shura. This was Father's student. She had helped protect Rin. There was no way this was real.

Goosebumps sprang up across his body. He shook his head as much as her blade would allow. "Stop. I don't know what you're trying to do, but stop it!"

Her hand not holding her sword grabbed his throat, hard. "We'll go straight ta the Grigori. They'll want ta hear all about this before we send ya ta the lab."

He tried to say something but her hand was too tight. She dragged him up by the throat. He leaned heavily against the wall, his ribs sending sharp pains across his abdomen. This wasn't happening. This couldn't be.

His blood was rushing in his ears. He was defenseless. His guns were at home. He had left it there when he went out for his nightly experiments. It was the best way to trigger his eyes: to truly have no safety net. He had never dreamt he would need them standing in Shura's bedroom.

"Ghrk…" He tried gasping for air. Her grip was tightening and his mind was starting to feel detached from his body. Distantly he felt the horror of betrayal fill his heart. Black spots were encroaching on his vision—

And then the world was cast in blue. Shura gasped softly, her eyes wide as they studied his own. It was strange seeing her red hair masked with blue. He blinked away the random thought as he felt her grip loosen and air rushed into his chest.

Shura took a step back, releasing him and lowering her sword. Without her support, Yukio's knees buckled and he slid down the wall a little as he coughed and sputtered for air. His ribs stabbed with pain with every gasp, but gradually, the blue receded and the room was once again filled with cheerful morning sunlight.

"I'm sorry," Shura said once he had caught his breath. "I had ta see it for myself. I had ta know what we're dealing with."

We?! Yukio glared at her, betrayal still burning in his veins.

She raised her empty hand palm in a sign of peace. "Sorry! Really, Yukio, I'm sorry. I'm not goin' ta turn ya in." When he didn't say anything, she held her sword out to him with two fingers as if she was holding something disgusting. "Ya were right. I wasn't serious. It was just a test. I wouldn't really hurt ya." When he didn't move to take the sword from her, she slowly placed it on the ground in front of him and took a few steps back so that he was closer to the blade than she was. "Yukio… It's me. It's Shura. Ya know me. I'm not going ta hurt ya." He rubbed his throat in a silent objection, and he could see her wince a little in guilt. But then she smiled kindly at him. "I guess I should be happy… Ya know, that it took that much to make ya believe I might kill ya. Means ya really trust me. Well, ya weren't wrong. I promise."

Yukio looked at her earnest eyes. Perhaps it was exhaustion, but he couldn't bring himself to listen to his logic screaming at him not to trust, to make a run for it, to grab her sword. Relief washed through him. This was Shura. The same Shura that Father had taught. The same Shura he'd known for half his life. The same Shura that teased him mercilessly ever since he was a child.

His legs finally gave out the rest of the way and he slid to the ground unceremoniously like a puppet with its strings cut. "Don't do that to me," he groaned into the cloth of his pant leg.

"Sorry. I'm really, really sorry," she said quietly. He heard her bare feet pad softly across the ground so she could kneel next to him. "An' thanks. Fer finally telling me what was happenin' to you. I've been worried."

"You… worried," he murmured incredulously. The thought was somewhat amusing. The woman who went into battle with only half a plan had been concerned about him.

"Yeah, I'm just sorry that it took me this long. Sorry ya've been going through all this by yerself."

He looked up at her sincere face and had the sudden urge to cry. He drew both knees to his chest and buried his face there so she couldn't see. She must've known though, because she began to rub concentric circles on his back. He trembled and broke at the gentle touch. In his effort to swallow down the tears, his breathing was left unchecked and soon gasping, dry sobs wracked his body.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed before his breathing evened out. He finally straightened out his legs, but he avoided her eyes in embarrassment. She said nothing. No annoying jab in an attempt to start an argument. Just comfortable silence. They sat next to each other propped up against the wall like before, her knee bumping his.

"What do you think it is?" he whispered almost hoping she wouldn't hear him and give him the answer he feared.

She hummed softly back as if she too was unwilling to break the silence of the moment. "I guess…" she said slowly. "Ya must've inherited somethin' too. But maybe yer body wasn't strong enough ta handle it until now. Or maybe ya've always had it, but were never in a situation where ya truly thought ya were going ta die."

"It never did cross my mind until Father was no longer there with me on missions."

She nodded. "Yeah… I get that. It was so hard to imagine him allowing anyone in his care ta die…"

He shivered, and she reached down to pull the comforter over their legs. His hands ran over the fabric, smoothing out the wrinkles. "Why…? Why do you think I have this and am not like Ani (1)?"

"Ya mean why don't ya have flames? Or…?"

He didn't respond.

"Well, maybe ya do have flames. But ya don't need them for lower class demons. Only high class demons. Who knows?" she sighed. "It doesn't seem ta do anythin' ta humans though. That's what I was testing, ya know. I had ta know how dangerous this was."

He nodded slowly. His throat ached with each movement of his head, but he didn't mention it. "Was it true? What you said about Lewin-san?"

"He is lookin' fer immortals. I don't know if that's what ya are though. If this only works against demons, then ya could still get killed in some other way, right? That's not true immortality." She touched the side of the teapot, seeing if there was any warmth left. "Could be that only death by demon is off the table."

"Right. Other than that, I could be perfectly human." Yukio had heard the theory before. He looked down at his own hands like they might change into claws at any moment. "That's… That's what I don't get most of all. Why am I not like Ani? Why do I still look human?"

"…I don't know." Her brow was creased, so he knew she was as concerned about that detail as he was. In a way, it made things much more dangerous for him than they had been for Rin. If the Order found out, they would want to know if his power could be shared amongst other humans. They would surely lock him in a lab to live out his days until their experiments killed him.

And then there was the one reason Yukio had realized could explain why he was like this. It was a troubling, horrifying thought, so he avoided considering it as much as possible. But it sat there stewing on the edges of his mind, continuing to make perfect sense no matter how much he tried to gather evidence against it. If the Order knew, he would be killed immediately. No trial or anything.

"I know, secrecy is a difficult habit ta break, but ya need ta tell Rin." Shura's words were a welcome reprieve from his thoughts, although he didn't like her idea either.

"What? No. I can't. I…" He began, but she didn't respond. Just sat, waiting. Why was she always so infuriatingly calm in moments like these? He felt a surge of stubbornness. "I can't. He's got enough to worry about with the exorcist exam in a little over a week, and I still don't know enough about this power and if I can use it as a weapon or…" Or if he was still as useless as before. He swallowed down those words.

"Yukio… Yer an idiot," Shura announced.

"Excuse me?"

"Yer an idiot," she repeated shamelessly. "First off, Rin is already worried. Yer running around, comin' home at ungodly hours for weeks on end. He was worried before I even showed him yer wounds. An' now he's probably sittin' in class zonin' out because he's wondering about ya."

Class? What time was it? His eyes darted around for a clock before Shura started snapping her fingers in his face. "Oi. Listen. Yer not goin' ta school today. Get over it." He glowered at her but she smiled back. "Now then, reason two yer an idiot."

He groaned. "Yes?"

"Ya've got foresight, smarts, a group of skilled young exwires, an' now yer tellin' me ya can't be killed by demons. An' yer still lookin' fer another weapon? Yer almost too powerful already!" She looked at him out of the corner of her eye expectantly, but he returned the look blankly. She rolled her eyes. "Have ya really fergotten our first mission together already?"

Of course he hadn't. Their first mission together had been his first field mission ever. He had been young and thirsty to prove himself to Father, and she had been childish and goading. It had resulted in a competition which pushed him and continued today, but back then when they were immature enough to let it take precedence over the mission and it had resulted in them getting separated. They had been clearing a mansion rightfully rumored to be haunted, when Shura had moved too fast for his short legs and young Yukio had been left in a room which locked itself. A ghoul had nearly killed him and would have if Father hadn't swooped in, guns blazing. He gave them a good scolding after that.

Yukio remembered the words well. One of the most vital lessons for an exorcist. "Exorcists do not fight alone. We need to work with others."

"So ya do remember." Shura nudged his shoulder with her own. "Mephisto calls ya their commander fer a reason. Ya don't need ta go searchin' fer weapons stronger than those exwires, stronger than Rin," she corrected herself, knowing exactly who he was comparing himself to. "Rin's strength is yer own when yer in the field. He's yer weapon. Just like yer mine because I still outrank ya!" She chuckled to herself. "An' now I have a piece invincible ta demons. Sounds like a key weapon ta me."

He ignored the flattery and struggled to find a counter argument. She had a point. But it wasn't the same. If he had something like Rins' flames… If he could do something more than just not get himself killed… The power counted on him being scared, being a coward. How was he supposed to grow stronger if this was the limit of his ability?

"Yer thinking something dumb, aren't ya?"

"It's not dumb, it's true." He crossed his arms, carefully to avoid jostling his injured wrist, as if the action would defend against her words.

"Things can be true an' dumb. Those tend ta be the dumbest things in fact. Just like people can be called geniuses, but also be idiots." She winked in response to his glare. Her teasing smirk fell into a frown when he didn't respond. "Yukio… Ya've done a lot to protect Rin. Ya don't need flames or somethin' like that to continue ta do that."

He felt his jaw clench. Yes, protecting Rin had been his mission for so long. A power like this could only protect himself, leaving him as useless as ever. But it was more than that, and Yukio knew it. He just wasn't sure he wanted to admit it out loud. His heart was weak and limited by envy of a brother he loved more than himself. He tightened his arms around his chest and was strangely relieved by the pain the action sent through his ribs. He looked away from her and spoke instead to the ceiling. "I'm not… strong enough. I'm not… needed. Not anymore. Ani is far stronger than I'll ever be. He doesn't need my protection. I… I'm useless. Even after all this time, after all I've done… I'm nothing next to him… I…" His mouth went dry, and he couldn't continue.

"Yukio, ya need to talk ta Rin. I think ya'll be surprised by what he says. Rin needs ya as much as ya need him."

He shook his head wordlessly, not trusting his voice. His chest felt tight, and it had nothing to do with his ribs.

Shura sighed. "I can't talk for him, but I'll tell ya what I've seen. He needs ya ta think when he can't, when his emotions run too high. He needs ya ta make the tough call when he doesn't have it in him. He needs yer support. Ya keep him grounded. Ya balance each other out. Which is why ya need to tell him.

"What do ya say? Should I tell him ta come here tonight? Ya two can talk an' then if ya two need space afterwards, ya can stay here fer a few days. Only a few though because I don't need stupid rumors startin' that I'm holdin' a guy hostage in my room. It took months fer the last one to fade." She smirked and leaned into him.

He scowled, but did not take the bait. "I… will talk to him."

Her smirk grew into a grin. "Good. It's settled then." She hopped up and left the room for a moment. She returned a minute later with medicine. "Here." She shoved it into his hands and let him figure out the proper dosage while she scooped up the teapot and brought it into the other room. She returned with a fresh pot and a bowl of rice porridge.

Yukio accepted the tea and frowned at the porridge. "Really?"

"Yer sick; ya get porridge. An' it's yer fault yer sick, so no complaining."

He sighed in defeat and took the bowl from her. He winced as he swallowed a mouthful of blandness and a ripple of pain went through his throat. Shura must have seen because a moment later she was practically in his lap, lifting his head to get a proper look at his neck.

"Don't you have any sense of personal space?" he grumbled, but let her examine him.

"That's gonna leave a bruise… Sorry." It was strange to see her brow knitted and her lips formed in a tight frown of regret and guilt. The expression looked wrong on her usually carefree face.

"Tell you what: you help me grade papers and I'll forgive you," he said in an obvious attempt to lighten the mood.

"What?! But I'm already takin' over yer class this afternoon." She followed his lead although her fingers ghosted over the outline of the bruise.

"Really?" He arched an eyebrow at her and tried to ignore how strange her closeness was starting to make him feel. "I thought you would've asked Angeline-sensei (2) to do that."

She released his chin and leaned back with a pout. "Aw! I should have! There's no doubt she would've agreed. Why didn't ya say that earlier? It's all yer fault that I have ta do work," she whined.

"Do you even know what unit we're on?"

She shrugged. "I'll figure it out."

"They're preparing for the exorcist exam! You can't just wing it!"

"Fine, fine. Eat yer porridge, take yer medicine, an' then ya can tell me yer brilliant lesson plan." She yawned and grabbed the pillow he had kicked away during their earlier struggle. She stretched out on the floor next to him like a cat finding the perfect spot of sunlight. "In the meantime, I'm sleepin'. Takin' care of ya is so much work."

He would have grumbled something back, but his eye caught a glimpse of the bandages on his chest and wrist. Soft snores already filled the room. He could let her sleep for a little while.

(1) Ani means big brother, just like Nii-san, but Nii-san is used when talking to your big brother while Ani is used while talking to others about your big brother (there are exceptions of course, but that's another whole conversation). Obviously, here Yukio is referring to Rin. I would do the same for "Father," but I'm too lazy to look up raws to see what kanji Yukio uses when referring to Shirō.

(2) Anyone read Salaryman Futsumashi: Okumura Yukio no Aishuu? Pretty silly stuff. Angeline-sensei first appears in volume 1 chapter 5 and has a brief, unnamed appearance in AnE chapter 6.

A/N: Please let me know what you think. I'm still debating on whether to leave it as a one-shot or continue, and your opinions will help me decide.

I figured Shura was the best candidate for dragging the truth out of Yukio, especially after Rin and Shiemi's conversation at the end of chapter 69. If any of this came off as shipping YukiShura, well… That's because I do. My poor shipper heart chose an unpopular pair… Anyway, I think it reads as close platonic. If I continue this story, there may be some more blatant hints, but not as a main focus and not until much later because I think Yukio has too much he needs to sort out before he'd be ready for any form of romance. Also, there'll probably be hints of RinShi, but only because that's practically canon already.

As I said earlier I haven't watched the anime, so I left Shura's past really vague (they cover it in the anime, right?). The thing about throwing someone off a cliff so they can crawl back up is based off of Kazue Katō's comments on how Shura's hair is based off of the red lion in Renjishi. Who knows if there really was a cliff, metaphorical or not. I guess we'll have to wait for the manga to cover Shura's backstory. I also took an educated guess on how Yukio's eyes work. I wouldn't be at all surprised if it's revealed to work differently in the very next manga chapter.

Anyway, continue or not?