A/N: I am still writing this story, so don't fear, my lovelies! Also, thank you for the wonderful reviews to the last chapter.

(belated) Happy New Year!

Beginning beneath the Azure Summer Sky

Early the next morning.

The nearly empty yet magnificently massive True Cross Academy was calmly greeted by the rising sun, peaking over the mountains. The sounds of students departing from the Academy for the summer could be heard on the streets. Summer had finally arrived, and everyone was saying their goodbyes and see you laters to the friends they'd come to know over the year.

However, for some, there were no goodbyes…

"Oi, Koneko." Shima said, looking up from his bag of clothes and goodies—which consisted of a few of his favorite nudie mags. He couldn't leave without anything to satisfy himself with. Sure there was the internet, but porn sites had a tendency to be crawling with malware. His way was just safer.

Why risk it?

"Hm?" Konekomaru said as he climbed down from standing on his chair. He'd grabbed some of his favorite books from the bookshelf hanging over his desk. If he was going to be away for a while, might as well have some entertainment, right?

Nothing was like a good read in the shade on a warm summer's day, and doing so on the beach was something he planned to do quite a bit.

"Have you seen or texted Bon today? We're supposed to open our results together." The pinkette asked.

"We know he did well." Konekomaru smiled confidently. "Besides, he probably has some things on his mind. He told me last night that he'd just gotten some bad news… I don't know what it was about, though."

"I wish he'd tell me stuff." Shima brooded.

"Don't be such a child." The shorter boy lectured, "I just happened to bump into him in the lobby when he was coming back from a run, that's all. He would've probably told you if you were there instead of me."

"I doubt it…"

"Anyway, how'd you do?"

"I haven't opened the results yet. We were supposed to do it together, but oh well." Shima said, then pulled the envelope containing his results off his nightstand. "Here goes nothing!" he declared as he tore it open.

Doing as his friend had done, Konekomaru opened his letter and scanned the page. A few seconds later, a content smile found its way to his face. "I passed with an eighty-eight." He looked over to Shima. "Shima?"

"I… I got a seventy! And that was probably just Okumura-san being generous… But I passed!" he grinned and desperately fanned himself with the papers. That was a close call for him…

"I'm glad you passed. But you don't need to be so hard on yourself. A sixty to sixty-nine is also passing."

"R—really?!" Words couldn't express how large Shima's eyes were at this revelation.

"Shima… Were you unaware that we're on a ten point grading scale?" Konekomaru almost laughed.

"So, I've been passing all along!" Shima said, excited and jovially uplifted.

"I wonder how the others did…"

A knocking on the door and a ringing of the doorbell alerted Rin that someone was at his dorm to see him. As he was in the middle of cooking, he put down his spoon and turned the pot to low so the pasta sauce he was making could simmer over the stove as he went to meet his guest.

To his surprise, upon opening the door, he found an anxious Shiemi standing with an envelope in her hands, held close against her chest.

"Rin, did you get your results yet?" she asked, her cheeks notably flushed from nervousness.

Rin nodded and invited his friend inside. "Yeah, they're on the table in the kitchen. I already know I passed without even lookin' at 'em!" He said, truly believing it to be so.

"Wanna look together?" Shiemi asked.

"Sure."

Quickly, the raven-haired demi-demon took the envelope off the table and ripped the seal off of it. Shiemi followed his example and they both pulled their results out of the envelopes.

"I—I did it!" Shiemi beamed with a look of pure relief on her pretty face. "How'd you do?" she immediately asked Rin.

"I got a sixty-seven… Is that even passing for the final?"

"There should be a note that says whether or not you passed. It's an evaluation Yuki-chan—I mean Okumura-sensei wrote us."

Rin's eyes flocked over the paper and found a formally typed note attached to the bottom of his page. In his search for the large score in red, he'd completely overlooked it. "Says I need to devote more time to studying and theory, and that my attention is lacking in class. But…" he squinted at the bottom of the note, "I passed!"

"That's wonderful! We did it!" the blonde bounced with glee. "I'm so proud of us!"

"Me too." Rin said, literally wiping sweat from his brow. His pseudo confidence from a few minutes ago was now becoming much more genuine. Perhaps he truly was cut out for this.

"Did you pack for the trip already?" Shiemi asked as a side note.

"Yeah, mostly. I think Four-Eyes wants us to meet at the bus terminal in about thirty minutes."

"Right. Well, I'm going to go grab my things. I'll meet you there?"

"Yup!" Rin smiled.

After returning that smile, Shiemi turned and headed on her way out the door, briefly stopping to pet Kuro, who came into the dormitory at the exact moment she was leaving.

As he walked up the hill with his bags on his back and the terminal came into view, Rin looked around for familiar faces. "Am I the first one here?" he asked. The place was a little busy with the other students who were just now leaving for summer vacation, but he didn't recognize any of the faces.

When he spotted Shura's unmistakable mane of red and yellow hair atop a bus, he headed over to her. "Oi, Shura!" he called.

Shura looked down to him and waved with a smile, "Passed the final, I see!" she taunted.

Rin squinted, "I wasn't worried in the least! Where's Four-Eyes?"

"He's getting the tickets from the station." The woman answered.

"Any of my classmates here?"

"That quiet one and the girl with ponytails are around here somewhere."

"Puppet-Guy and Polka-Brows?"

Shura blinked a few times, then burst out in a fit of laughter. "You sure are a stupid kid sometimes! Giving people nicknames like that!" she bellowed, slapping the top of the bus as she laughed, earning displeased remarks form the driver inside.

"Hey, look who it is!" Shima's voice came from a ways off.

Rin turned and saw the familiar trio coming towards him. Konekomaru and Shima both wore smiles as they greeted him, Bon, however, looked a bit distant and spacey.

"How'd you guys do?"

"If we're here, it means we passed." Shima replied as if this should've been the obvious answer. "That being said, I do not see my Izumo-chan or Moriyama-san around anywhere."

"Izumo is here somewhere. Shura said so." Rin told him. At the sound of her name, Shura waved. "Shiemi is on her way. I don't think anyone failed the exam." He continued with a smile.

"I'm glad to hear that." Konekomaru returned his smile. "So, I guess this the bus we're riding in?" he asked.

"Yup. Yukio is just finalizing the deal at the moment. But he told me to tell you all to get on board." Shura answered.

Shima sprinted over to the doors and waited for them to open. "C'mon! If we get on first, we get the best pick of seats! And we get out of this mosquito-filled-air…!"

"Wait a minute! Put those bags in the compartment on the side of the bus before you embark." Shura instructed.

Once Shima and Konekomaru had put their bags away and gotten on the bus, Rin put his booksack and bags where they were designated to go and smiled at Suguro when he did the same. "Hey," he greeted him. "Why so quiet?"

After putting his bags away, Suguro rubbed his neck. "I'm dealing with some stuff…" he told him, avoiding eye contact, but not so much that it was awkward. It seemed like he was just troubled by something.

"Oh. Well… do you wanna talk about it?" Rin had become somewhat aware of Suguro's signs and body language.

"Not really… It's not something I want to bother anyone with."

Rin's tail fell under his shirt. When Suguro boarded the bus, he felt like a bad friend for not being able to comfort him. And they'd been getting so much closer, too. One would think Suguro would be comfortable enough to talk to him about these things…

Before he could call after him, Shura jumped to the ground and plucked his forehead. "Don't get all cocky because you passed a little written exam. You'll come to realize that was just child's play when you get into being an exorcist. If you become one…"

"I'll show you just how easy it is to be an exorcist. Just wait." He promised, then walked around her to get on the bus.

"Wait, don't leave me!" Shiemi cried out as she ran towards the bus. When she got there, Shura took her bags from her as she nearly collapsed from exhaustion. "Th—thank you!"

"Shiemi?" Rin said.

The girl took a few seconds to catch her breath as best she could before replying. "Good morning, Rin!"

"Ready to go on vacation?"

"Well, it's not exactly a vacation… but I am looking forward to the time we can spend with everyone."

"Yeah, me too." The demi-demon agreed. He stood there watching as Shiemi climbed onto the bus. After taking one more glance out at the city, he got onto the bus as well.

Seeing Izumo sitting towards the front of the bus reading a manga came as no surprise. She liked being alone, though that didn't stop him from smiling at her as he passed her up. No doubt Shima would slip up here to talk to her later.

Speaking of Shima, he and Konekomaru were sitting towards the middle; Shima one seat behind Konekomaru. Shima had already put his headphones on, while Konekomaru was also reading.

On the left row and a few seats behind them was Nemu, who was on his mobile—one-handed use, of course.

Shiemi was two rows behind him. Rin chose to sit by her, but he made sure to take note that Suguro was sitting in the back of the bus, earbuds in his ears and staring out the window.

"Alright everyone, just sit back and behave while you wait for Yukio to come!" Shura announced as she marched onto the bus and plopped herself down onto the seat nearest the driver. "I'll come back there if I have to!"

Suguro put his earbuds back in and turned his attention back outside. The trip to Osaka would probably take a while. Maybe the calmness of the day would help put his mind at ease.

After a short while, Yukio arrived and started talking with the bus driver. It was a brief conversation, and then the driver closed the door and started pulling off from the Academy.

Rin sat back quietly in his seat as the sights passed him by through his large window. The clouds stacked upon clouds in the sky, their organic forms a stark contrast to the sharp angles of the expansive cityscape. The magnificently stacked True Cross Academy slowly retreated from sight, as did the city at some point.

He felt the warmth of the sun beaming down on him, lulling him to sleep a bit. He was reminded of where he was when he felt Shiemi's head bump against his shoulder. Turning, he looked down at her and saw that the girl was lying on him, sleeping rather soundly.

With a smile, he turned back and stared out his window again.

To his surprise, there were some dark clouds on the horizon, even though they were a ways off.

It was then that he realized things were surprisingly quiet on the bus, considering all of his classmates were on it.

He gently moved Shiemi, adjusting her so she was comfortable, and then sat up to look over the seats. None of his friends were moving—the ones he could see, anyway. It quickly hit him that, like Shiemi, they must've fallen asleep. Even Shura's bright head of hair was leaned still against the window, only moving from the few instances when the bus hit a small bump in the road.

Turning around, he was surprised again when he saw Suguro's dark eyes move from staring out the window to meet his; this sight only just visible to him over the seats.

Careful not to disturb Shiemi from her sleep, Rin got up and stepped over her legs to get into the aisle. Even more carefully, he made his way to the back where Suguro was.

"Hey," he greeted when he reached him.

Suguro had pulled his earbuds from his ears by then, "Hey Okumura." He replied.

He didn't seem super distant like he needed space, so Rin took the seat beside his. "Liking the trip so far?"

"The view's nice. I am kind of restless, though."

"Oh by the way, what have you been listening to all this time?"

"Music, mostly calming stuff. Evan Awake?" Suguro replied, wondering if Rin was familiar.

"I've heard some songs." The demi-demon smiled. "Good choice."

The larger of the two grinned. "I have good taste."

"Questionable at times." Rin teased. He turned his attention back out the window for a moment, noting that the city had turned to the countryside when he wasn't paying attention.

"Uh… sorry for the way I was earlier. I just had to have time to think about things."

"You can talk to me about it…" Rin quickly adjusted his statement, "if you want, that is…!"

"It's my parents. Juzo called me and told me they're both very sick. So I didn't really want to come on the trip when I found out. But Juzo and Kinzo are looking after them. It's just that they're both sick… I should be there with them, you know?"

"I'm sorry you had to make a choice." Rin offered, "Did you tell Yukio?"

"I don't really need to. He'd have advised I go home, but this is my job. I'll never get better if I make excuses and run from it."

"I guess that makes sense…?"

"Are you telling me or asking me?!" Suguro said through squinted eyes.

Rin sweatdropped. "Both?"

"Well, in any case, they're being looked after. I trust the Shima family completely, so that's why I can come on the trip."

"They'll get better. Just give it time." Rin said with a smile as he patted the larger man on the shoulder a bit too roughly.

Suguro sighed, "You're bad at this…" he admitted, smiling unintentionally. "Thanks."

"Of course. You can talk to me about these things any time."

"I know."

When Suguro turned to stare out the window, Rin looked him over. He was such a fighter, such a person to be admired. Of course, he wanted to date him. He felt his stomach start doing turns as he recalled their little conversation from yesterday…

Flashback

Rin decided to lead Suguro up to the roof of his dorm, the quietest and admittedly most private place that wasn't his bedroom, upon request of a "quiet" place. When the two of them were reacquainted with the fresh air, he turned and stared at the taller man.

A request for basically a more private audience from Suguro, especially after recent events, had him eager for explanation.

"Best spot on campus." He said to break the ice, believing that to be so.

"Well, it's quiet." Suguro finally spoke.

"You wanted to talk about something?"

A barely noticeable fault in the rough exterior Suguro wore appeared, apparent from him avoiding eye contact and sticking his hands into his pockets. "Okumura, look… I don't really know how to… uh…"

"Suguro, you don't have to act so weird around me. We're friends, and we've gotten pretty close, haven't we?" Rin took a step towards him, but maintained an appropriate distance. Suguro was acting strangely, and he knew that getting too close might do more harm than good. "Talk to me."

"…I… Shit…" Suguro pulled his right hand out of his pocket to stroke the back of his neck. He was way too nervous about whatever it was he wanted to discuss.

"Is it about that date we had?" Rin made a move, but unlike before, this move took him away from Suguro. With the brilliant sun, the bright blue summer sky, and gently wandering blossoming clouds overhead, he walked over to the railings and sat down so he could stare out at the campus. "It was a failure for sure… I know Polka-Brows is feeling pretty good about herself."

Suguro stayed his position, staring at Rin's backside. "I don't care about that anymore." He confessed. When Rin turned and looked over his shoulder at him, he sighed. "Look…" he began hesitantly as he closed the distance between them. When he reached Rin, he took a seat beside him. "I actually came to realize that I don't think you're annoying… or… as annoying as I used to think you were."

Rin crossed his legs and leaned forward to rest his arms on them. "I feel the same. Well, I guess in my case, I don't think of you as a jerk anymore."

"…" Suguro offered no reply. He wasn't sure what to say next.

After a while of simply sitting in each other's company, letting the gentle summer day pass them by, Rin spoke again. "I wanted our date to go well. But not because of the bet or anything... I actually kinda thought it'd be interesting to spend some time with you. Like friends." When he saw Suguro turn his attention to him, he continued. "I've been thinking about you lately… I actually started to like the idea of us… dating each other." He said, getting it off his chest at last.

Suguro offered no reply again. He sat in silence, his eyes having found their way back out to the campus. Just when Rin started to feel he shouldn't have said what he said, the other spoke. "I wanted the date to succeed, too. It was for the sake of the bet, for sure, but… after it was over, I realized I didn't mind spending time with you that way. Although it soured very, very quickly, you were at least the most bearable part of the night… like a boyfriend or something… I don't know."

A large smile found its way to Rin's face. "You mean that?"

"Yeah."

Rin found that perhaps there was a new suggestion to be made here. "…Maybe we should forget the bet. I wouldn't mind…" he paused, a bit anxious about whether this would be shot down. "I wouldn't mind dating you."

"Oh? Are you sure about that?"

"I'm pretty sure."

"Heh…" Suguro grinned and stared up at the azure sky, "I guess I have no choice but to ask you out, then. Wanna go out with me again, Okumura?"

"Ooooooh, weeeeell… I don't knoooow…" Rin said, pulling out his phone and opening his calendar app. "I'll have to check my schedule to see if I'm available for you." He told Suguro jokingly.

"You're so funny." Suguro commented.

"I try ever now and again. Anyway, of course I'll go out with you!"

End Flashback

Staring at Suguro, Rin blushed a bit. It was official now. They were dating—beginning a marvelous adventure with each other amidst the summer mission for Osaka.

They would go out on their first official date whenever the chance arose during this "vacation".

Reaching out, he linked his arm with Suguro's, taking him by surprise.

Suguro blushed as his eyebrows furrowed and his eyes widened. "O—Okumura, what are you-"

"Everyone's asleep, but…" he took up one of the earbuds and put it into his ear. "I'll pretend to be listening to music with you if they ask. And I'll let you go when they wake up." He assured.

I do not intend for this story to be updating on a yearly basis lol. I apologize for the delayed update.