A/N: I recently started watching Ao No Exorcist. Of course, I couldn't help but pair up Shiemi and Rin.
Kimono
000
"Nii-san…you're looking awfully suspicious today," Yukio commented, upon seeing his older twin brother pushing his body half way out of the window to look outside. Immediately after the statement was said, Rin turned around with a grin on his features.
"I am going to complete the impossible today!" He declared proudly. Yukio rose an eyebrow, unsure of how to approach his excited brother.
"And the impossible is…?" He asked wearily. Even if Rin wasn't the son of Satan, he would still probably be a trouble maker. His grin only widened.
"I'm going to get Shiemi to wear something other than her kimono!" He stated happily. Yuiko sighed. Of course it would be something unproductive.
"Nii-san, she probably wears only a kimono for a reason. You're just going to cause problems," Yukio pointed out wisely. However, it would take more than just talking to get Rin to stray away from a goal.
"Well, it's too late. Shiemi's going to be here any moment now," Rin replied, crossing his arms smugly.
"Eh, whatever then. Just heed my words. I'm going out on a mission. I won't be back until tomorrow," Yukio said with a shrug. Before Rin could utter a word, his twin brother had used one of his keys to open the bedroom door, and was gone.
Rin, glad that his brother was out of the dorm, simply began to loiter around, waiting for the doorbell to ring. After a few minutes, it finally rang, and he made his way downstairs, making sure not to be too hasty.
He opened the door, and the usual kimono-clad Shiemi was there, shyly beaming up at him. He had never really realized how short she was until she stepped inside, the top of her head lightly brushing his shoulder.
"You said there was something you needed help with?" Shiemi asked innocently, after a painfully awkward silence. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. With a gulp, Rin nodded uncomfortably.
"I…uh…well…I made too much for lunch. And since Yukio went out on a mission…I thought I'd just invite you over to help me finish," He explained. Damn. What a lame sounding excuse.
To his astonishment, Shiemi's eyes were wide with happiness.
"A…ah! Really? Are you sure it's okay? I mean…" She stuttered, blushing furiously. The word 'cute' flashed by Rin's mind, and he let out an exaggerated laugh.
"Yeah, it's fine. I mean, I invited you over for a reason," He told her, sounding a bit too forceful. With a slightly strained smile, he led her into the dining hall, where the food was all set.
As they both sat down, a glint appeared in his eyes. It was almost time for his plan to commence.
He let a few minutes pass until he started. Of course, he didn't only invite her so that he could get her to change into something other than a kimono. Although he didn't really know it, the blonde girl was important to him. He also wanted her to enjoy her visit.
The glint appeared once more in his eyes, as he reached over and 'accidentally' tipped a cup of water down. The cup fell lightly, and the contents poured over Shiemi's chest and onto her lap.
"Ahh. Damn it. My bad," Rin cursed, trying his best to sound convincing. Shiemi, meanwhile, was panicking.
"O…oh, no! Kaa-san is going to be angry with me!" She said, flailing her arms around. Ah. Rin hadn't exactly calculated that she was going to have that type of reaction. He hoped that her mother wouldn't actually get mad at her.
"It's just water," He reminded how, as he passed her some paper towels. The water was plentiful though, and it would take more than just a few paper towels to dry off the kimono.
"Do you need something to change in?" Rin asked hopefully. Unexpectedly, a beam broke out on her expression, and she shook her head gratefully.
"It's okay! I have an extra in my bag," She chirped. Rin clenched his hand into a tight fist. Of course she would. A second later, he tipped over another cup of water, soaking her bag and the contents inside.
"Oops. Shit, I'm really being clumsy today," Rin said, faking a worried expression as he grabbed more paper towels.
"I guess you'll need something to change into now, huh?" He questioned her hastily. She shook her head frantically, annoying him.
"It's fine! I can just wear this! There's no need to help me anymore!" Shiemi said loudly. He sighed. Typical Shiemi.
"Go to the bathroom. I'll find you something," Rin told her, patting her shoulder. As he went upstairs to his room, he missed the deep red blush that grew on the girl's face.
000
Well, this was something he hadn't really thought of. What was she going to wear? It was pretty obvious that there weren't any girl clothes around. Even if there were, they would probably be old and filthy. Sighing, he grabbed one of his shirts and proceeded to the bathroom.
As he ambled down the hallway, he began to try and imagine Shiemi's face when he would hand her his blue shirt. She would probably blush even more, or possibly even faint.
The thought made him laugh lightly. Now that he thought about it, Rin had never really been close to a girl. He spent his childhood causing trouble, and none of the girls would dare to talk or play with him. Although Shiemi was afraid of Rin when they first met, she eventually grew to understand him more, and he was grateful for that. She thought he was amazing, like a hero. Unconsciously, his neck grew hot as he approached the bathroom door.
He knocked and called out her name.
"Can you open the door a crack? I brought something for you to change in," He said, knocking a little more.
"Okay," Shiemi replied shyly. Soon, the door opened a little and she hastily took the shirt from him. She murmured a short 'thank you' before the door quietly shut. It took her a while to come out again, but Rin waited.
Rin leaned against the wall. Maybe wearing a boy's shirt was a little bit of a shock to her. It was probably the first shirt she had borrowed from a boy. The thought made him feel somewhat prideful.
"S…sorry for the wait," Shiemi mumbled as she finally opened the door. Rin's eyes widened at the sight. On him, the shirt would reach to a little below his belly button. However, since she was a head shorter, the shirt ended at mid thigh for her. The most he had seen of her legs was when Yukio was observing them for any signs of a curse, and they were rooted back then.
Looking at them now, her legs were thin, and extremely smooth looking. For a sickly girl, she had pretty nice legs. He almost wanted to burn the image into his mind.
"I should…probably get going now," She said, snapping him out of his trance. He let out a short laugh as he scratched the back of his head.
Suddenly, a clap of thunder rang out, and the sound of heavily falling rain echoed throughout the hallway. An awkward silence was issued until Shiemi began panicking again.
"Oh, how do I get home now? Kaa-san will"—
"I guess you'll just have to stay the night. Yukio's not supposed to be back until tomorrow," Rin found himself saying. Shiemi was silent for a few seconds.
"Ano…is that okay…?" She asked timidly. He nodded, trying to act as careless as possible.
"Yeah, it's fine," He shrugged. He began to walk down the hallway, and gestured for her to follow him. The sound of her soft, almost inaudible foot falls nearly soothed him.
"You can take Yukio's bed, since he won't be back," Rin told her. She nodded without saying a word.
"I'll be back after I brush my teeth," He said, walking out of the room. Once he was a good distance away, he cursed. Of course things would work out this way. Maybe the world was punishing him for getting poor, innocent, little Shiemi out of her beloved kimono.
Unknowingly, Rin was rushing as he brushed his teeth. He could imagine Shiemi alone in the room, and he didn't like it. He jogged back, and peered inside to see her bundled up in Yukio's blankets.
"Hey, Shiemi? Are you okay?" Rin asked as he sat down on his own bed.
"Yes…" She replied reluctantly, without turning to face him. He rose an eyebrow.
"I can tell something's up," He pointed out to her. Slowly, she turned over. Her eyes were shimmering with tears.
"I…really can't stand thunder," Shiemi admitted as she clenched tightly onto the blankets. The sight of her snuggling into Yukio's blankets really ticked him off for some reason.
"Usually when there's thunder, I go to Kaa-san's room, and she holds me. And then…the next morning, she would make a really nice breakfast, and I would be really happy. I guess I just miss Kaa-san," The blonde girl explained. Another clap of thunder resounded in the room, and she whimpered.
"…come here," Rin finally spoke. Shiemi looked up at him, then around the room, wondering if a ghost had spoken. His patience wavered. She really was a clueless girl.
"Over here, Shiemi," Rin repeated. Slowly, she hobbled over to his bed.
"Um…yes?" She questioned, embarrassed. It couldn't possibly be what she thought it would be.
"Uh. Lay down," He answered back uncomfortably. Damn. She was really making him look bad. Shyly, she went beside him. She faced him, eyeing him with a confused expression.
To her surprise, he wrapped an arm around her.
"…like this?" He asked, stubbornly avoiding eye contact with her. Her breath caught in her throat, and she thought she would pass out. Unable to speak, she nodded frantically.
"Ano…thanks for today. It really was fun," She said, smiling at him. His face grew hotter.
"Yeah…no problem," He replied.
"This is my first time wearing a boy's shirt. I guess you could tell, right?" Shiemi said, letting out a tinkling laugh. He was really at a loss. He was finally beginning to catch up with the situation. They were on his bed, talking, while he had an arm wrapped around her. It almost seemed criminal to him.
"A little, I guess. I lent a shirt to Izumo once," Rin said without thinking.
"Ah…really?" She replied, beginning to feel a little unsure. Rin gulped. Had he said the wrong thing?
"Er…it was cause she wasn't really wearing much clothes"—
Oh. Well that didn't sound misleading at all. Shiemi's body stiffened, and she said nothing.
"I mean! It was when the demon attacked her and Paku. And since she was about to take a bath, her clothes…yeah," Rin explained awkwardly. He bit his bottom lip when she didn't say anything. He sighed.
"Look. You're one of my closest friends. And I…um…I care about you. A lot," He told her. Her eyes widened, and a smile had found its way onto her features before he knew it.
"I…I care about you too! A lot, too!" Shiemi said quickly. He laughed lightly as his hold on her tightened.
"Good night, Shiemi," Rin said as his eyes slipped closed. She smiled at him.
"Good night," She replied before she fell into her own slumber.
000
When she woke up, Rin wasn't there, but there was a bento seated beside her. Shiemi sat up and took the lid off.
It was a morning breakfast of octopus sausages, fried rice, cherry tomatoes, scrambled egg, and a few strips of bacon. On top of all the food, written in ketchup, was Good Morning!
Smiling softly, she picked up the chopsticks that were on the bed, and began to eat.
After that, Shiemi began to wear more than just kimonos. Yukio constantly questioned Rin about what had happened during his absence, but Rin always refused to tell him.
A/N: I hope you enjoyed!