"What about that thing on your back?"

"He used his cane."

"Oh my god," he stared at the ceiling, no doubt trying to get a grip of his emotions. "That's fucking horrible." I just nodded, not really wanting to elaborate on the subject. "And you promise that this is the first time he's done shit like that?" I nodded, "well, that's something, at least," he muttered.

"Can I ask you something?" His eyes flickered back down to mine and he nodded. I shifted where I sat on the floor, "how upset are you about all of this?"

He sighed, closing his eyes, "I've never been so... out of sorts. I have no idea what I'm doing anymore, but I'm sure things will somehow get back to normal, or as close as possible."

I ran my fingertips over the smooth tile of the floor, the grout the only roughness against my skin. "You didn't answer my question: how upset are you... about this?" My finger swirled in a circle between us, and he sighed.

"Logically, if I wasn't upset, that would be worrisome, wouldn't it?" He chuckled, but I wasn't having it.

"You still haven't answered me."

"I'm fine, Nii-san," he got to his feet, "I'm sure there's other chores that need to be done, and with your condition, it'd be best if I did them." I struggled to get to my feet and stumbled after him, grabbing his sleeve.

"I thought you had more questions?" He chuckled and shook me off, a small smile on his face.

"I guess I overestimated the actual amount I had." His hand rested on the door handle and I watched as he exited, leaving me behind.

What... What is going on? I knew that something like this would happen if he found out, but that didn't make me any more prepared. Maybe it's my imagination, but I feel as though he's being far more secretive with me than need be. With all the stress lately, I had no idea where to even begin to solve a problem like this. At a loss, I sighed, my eyes wandering over the room for a moment.

Oh, Yukio seriously must be out of it, he forgot to add bleach to the white load. Sighing, I walked over to the washer and fished out the small bottle of chemicals. Just opening the cap, my nose scrunched up, the smell burning my sinuses. With another sigh, I filled the required amount into the washer, setting the bottle on top of the machine when I was done.

God, what was I going to do? I can barely think about how I'd survive one day, how was I supposed to survive this week? Or next month, or the rest of the year? I shuddered, my sour mood devouring my determination to stay somewhat cheerful, for Yukio at least. I played with the bleach cap, twirling it on the surface of the wash machine, my dull thoughts not going much farther than the rest of the day.

I grunted in frustration, "what the fuck am I supposed to do?" I ground my teeth, slamming the bottle cap down, "what can I do?" I doubt I'd ever find a concrete answer, but deep down, I knew that I was hopeless. Nothing, that's what I can do, it's the only thing I'm good at. With reasonable doubt, I don't think my life would sort itself out, that'd be a miracle. And those types of heavenly gifts aren't given to hellish spawn like me.

My eyes wandered over the bleach label, reading the ingredients as to keep my mind off of my bitter life. However, a persistent thought kept invading my mind. Why not drink it? I shook my head, I wasn't going to drink bleach, am I fucking nuts?

...

Well, maybe.

I sighed, grabbing the open bottle and passing it between my hands. My eyes roamed over the label, a warning was printed in bold letters:

May be harmful if swallowed, absorbed through skin, or inhaled. Seek medical advice if breathing becomes irregular or skin becomes inflamed. Store in a well ventilated area and keep away from children.

I mean, it couldn't be that bad, right? Besides, I'm half demon, I'm sure I'm immune to some things, maybe this is one of them?

I suppose there's only one way to find out.

I brought the contain to my lips, the fumes coming from inside immediately wafted into my nose. It was uncomfortable and borderline painful, but oddly enough, it didn't bother me. I tilted my head back, a few ounces of the cleaner entering my mouth and hitting my tongue.

Immediately, or instinctively it seemed, my head whipped away and I spit out the bleach. I dropped the bottle back onto the washer, coughing violently. My mouth was on fire, but not like it would be if I were eating some sort of spicy food. No, this was real pain, as if my tongue would fall off. The chemicals had to be eating at my skin, and I reacted on impulse.

I threw open the laundry room door and ran as fast as I could to the kitchen. Thankfully, no one was inside except for Kuro. Dashing to the sink, I heard him ask what the problem was, worry lacing his tone. I paid no mind and ran the faucet, not even bothering to use a cup. I sat for what seemed like forever, rinsing and re-rinsing my tongue and gums. Finally, the burn ebbed away into a throb, which still worried me, but at least I could think past the pain.

"What was that about, Rin?" I turned to my two-tailed feline, my face warm and my throat raw.

"I-uh-swallowed a bee."

His eyes widened, "really? I thought we got rid of those things a month or so ago?" He padded up to me, a concerned glint in his eyes. "Are you okay?" I nodded, "did it sting you or something?" I had no time to think about a good answer so I simply nodded again. He tsked, "can I see?"

"I think I'll be fine, I'll just eat some ice or something." I walked over to the freezer, pulling open the door and and grabbing a cube of ice. Actually, maybe I was onto something, the ice seemed to helped immensely. I couldn't tell if it was actually helping, or simply masking the pain, however, but I didn't have the time, or energy to care.

"Alright... where did Yukio go?"

I rubbed the back of my neck, "he said he'd be doing chores, I have no idea which ones, but he's determined to keep me from lifting anything."

"Thank god! What was all that about earlier, anyway? I heard you yell and I got scared." His tails flicked wildly behind him, "did you get seriously injured?"

I sighed, reaching out and patting the top of his head, "thanks for the concern, buddy. I'm okay, I fell on the stairs and hit a bruised spot, that's all. By the way, I'm sorry you were locked in here that entire time, we need a pet door installed or something."

He huffed, "I'm a familiar, not some run of the mill family pet." I chuckled and patted his head once more, only aggravating him more.

"To Yukio and I, you're a family pet and a familiar, which honestly sounds a lot better, to me at least. Normal familiars wouldn't care as much about their partners, because they can always find a new one. But you," I scratched his back lovingly and he started to purr softly, "you care a whole lot, and I can't thank you enough, Kuro."

"Awww, don't get sappy on me! I might actually cry if you keep this up." I chuckled and he hopped up onto my shoulder. "So," he said melodically, "when's lunch?"

I couldn't help laughing, "your eyes are always bigger than your stomach, but if you'd like, I can make a few sandwiches. I'm sure Yukio will be hungry in a bit as well."

.oOo.

I hummed to myself as I worked, my mouth was still aching, but it was nothing compared to what I was used to. Kuro sat on the far counter, watching and sometimes even begging - with his eyes - for a few scraps. For such a small critter, he sure ate a lot, maybe that's why he's always so energetic.

About twenty minutes later, Yukio came walking in, "alright, food, I'm starving." I chuckled and he did as well, "hey, by the way, did you spill bleach or something on the floor? The bottle was open on the washer when I went to go switch the loads."

Oh fuck, I rubbed my neck, "oh, yeah, it was a accident, sorry."

He waved me off, "it's fine, it just reeks of chemicals in there, now. I had to open a window, so it might get a little colder in here." I nodded and brought his lunch over to the table.

"What did you do all day? Seeing as how I can't do any chores anymore."

He snorted, "I never said that, I just want you to leave the heavy and strenuous things to me. As for your question, I cleaned out the tub you were sitting in earlier, there was some left over stains, so I thought I'd get rid of them. Oh, and I vacuumed."

I hummed and Kuro spoke up, "tub, stains? What happened? I though you said you were fine, Rin?" He gave me a glare and I sighed.

"I am fine, Kuro. I fell, and it kinda led to a little bit of blood, alright? It was nothing big, I promise." He huffed and returned to his own plate. When my eyes moved away from him, I was met with stony teal irises. Yukio stared me down, my skin starting to prickle under his gaze.

I shook my head and rose my hands slightly, causing him to sigh. Taking a bite of his sandwich, my tall twin nudged his head in the direction of my furry companion. His eyes hardened and he stared at me, waiting for an answer. Why did you lie to him? I sighed, playing with the crust of my own sandwich. I nudged my head toward Kuro and opened my eyes impossibly wide, faking a tremble.

Yukio sighed and nodded, understanding what I meant. A few minutes past and I noticed him eyeing my sandwich, "why aren't you eating, Nii-san?"

I huffed, and Kuro brought up my previous lie. "I swallowed a bee, and I think it stung me. So eating is a little painful at the moment," I chuckled as if to lighten the subject.

He seemed worried though, "it stung you? On your tongue, or what? Lemme see." He shifted and rose from his seat, walking over to my side before I could protest. "Let me see," he repeated softly.

"It's fine, I promise," he wasn't listening to me, however. His fingers hooked under my chin and I was forced to tilt my head up. Sighing, I opened my mouth slightly. Yukio huffed and pulled gently on my chin, getting a better look.

"Uhh," his eyes widened and darted up to meet my own before returning to my mouth. "It's inflamed, horribly so." His eyes darted back up to mine, suspicion inside, "this was a bee sting?" I nodded my head and I saw the gears turning in his head. Suddenly, something clicked, "is that why you spilled the bleach? Because of the bee sting?"

Oh no.

I pulled away from him and nodded vehemently. However, I seemed to have dug my own grave. "That's a bit much for a bee sting...."

"Maybe I'm allergic?"

"You'd need to go to the hospital for that, then."

"But I have that whole demon thing, remember?"

"Quite well, actually." He sighed, going back to his seat. "Bleach?" I remained silent, and he took a bite of his sandwich. "Some milk will help dilute it." I looked up at him, wasn't he angry? Not even a little bit upset? His face was neutral, as if we were just talking about the weather... Maybe he was serious when he said he had become numb to all of this.

Sighing, I took a few bites of my food, not really able to taste much of it. There was silence in the room, aside from a few murmurs from Kuro, within a few minutes, he'd figured out what Yukio had been talking about and the small feline had stared at his plate ever since.

When I was finished, I stood, taking my plate with me into the kitchen. Shame tinged my cheeks and I sighed loudly, my hopelessness only growing. I heard footsteps approach me and Yukio silently set his plate next to the sink. He walked away, but his footsteps stopped short. "Rin," I swallowed, hearing his deadpanned tone. I shifted my gaze over to where he stood by the door, his expression facing away from me. "I'm hiding the bleach, and all other hazardous chemicals."

I nodded, "okay... I'm sorry."

He didn't answer as he left.