Kuro had walked into the kitchen just as I was finishing up. He looked tired but perked up when he smelled food. I silently tossed some scraps to him and he thanked me cheerfully. He was oddly silent about the elephant in the room, considering he was the one who had adamantly suggested that I tell Yukio. Well, Yukio knew now, but my familiar was acting as if the past week never happened. Finally, I sighed, "what's up with you?"

"Huh?"

"Don't play dumb, you're completely disregarding the fact that my life has been completely turned inside out." I sighed again and placed white rice on some plates.

"Did you ever think that; maybe I was disregarding it for that reason?" My hand paused for a moment and I huffed, realizing how rude I had come off. "Things are different now, Rin, but I'm not going to push the change."

"Thanks," I mumbled, placing the rest of the food on the plates and bringing them over to the table. I set Kuro's down on the floor and he waited patiently as I called for a Yukio. After a minute or so, my teal-eyed twin entered the kitchen, a fresh set of clothes on.

"Where are you going?" We both sat down and picked up our chopsticks.

"Nowhere in particular, I have some errands I need to run, but I'll be back by lunch." I nodded and we all ate in silence, I would moved around every once in awhile, the wooden seat not agreeing with my sore body. Yukio seemed to catch onto my discomfort, but he remained silent about it. When we finished up, I grabbed the dishes and walked to the sink.

Yukio left the room and I heard his feet thump against the steps and across the hallways upstairs. I simply ignored it and started washing the cutlery. After a few minutes, my ears twitched, hearing my twin re-enter the kitchen. He walked up behind me and set something on the counter to my right. Confused, I glanced over and spotted a small white tablet.

"Pain medication, you've been squirming all morning, and the bottle says they only last eight hours." Only? For a small pill, that seemed like a long time. I nodded and returned to the dirty dishes, but Yukio didn't move. I shot him a look and he seemed apologetic. "I have to make sure you take it, the nurse gave me strict rules."

"What the hell, I'm not gonna sell them on the black market or anything." I sighed and dried my hands, grabbing a glass and filling it. Popping the pill into my mouth along with a swig of water, I swallowed audibly and opened my mouth to show that I had been a good boy. Yukio rolled his eyes, but a smile played on his lips.

"I'll be back soon, okay?" I hummed and waved him off, it wasn't the first time he'd run errands, and it certainly wasn't the last.

I dutifully did the dishes, drying and putting them away like a traditional housewife. If this whole exorcist thing didn't work out, I'd make a damn good maid. Well, actually, if the whole exorcist thing didn't work out, the Grigori would have my head mounted. I shivered at the thought and put away the last of the dishes.

Kuro was asleep by the table and I decided not to disturb him. He seemed oddly worn out this morning and I pondered what he had done all night. Sighing, I started making my way upstairs, the pain in my body was already fading, and I was grateful for that. There was a weeks worth of laundry calling my name, and since I had nothing else to do, I figured I'd do some more chores.

Entering our room, I grabbed our hamper, but there was also our clothes from the monestary. I precariously set the white garbage bag inside the basket and hefted the load onto my hip. I small sting erupted in my back, but it wasn't nothing horrible, I could handle this. Humming, I walked to the stairs and made my way down the flights. I was just about halfway down the second flight when I misjudged my step.

I shrieked when I landed on the edge of a stair, no amount of pain killers could have saved me from that agony. My body felt like it was burning and I cussed. I'd dropped the basket and clothes were strewn about on the steps, but that was the least of my worries. I turned and tried to stand up, but something was seriously wrong. I hobbled back up the steps, huffing and biting my tongue to keep from yelling out. Tears fell down my face and I honestly thought I was dying.

This had to be what death felt like, because there was no way this pain could get any worse. I wasn't going to be able to make it up to our room, so I chose a random room and entered it, walking to the bathroom and leaning against the wall.

Maybe doing chores with Yukio gone was a bad idea, but I've never slipped and fallen like this. I wondered dully if I had broken any bones, because it sure felt like it. Can't you break your tail bone? Wait, I have a tail, I think I'd know if I broke that. I huffed and shoved my idiotic musing aside, pulling at my pajama bottoms. Christ, this hurt, I had to have broken something.

I kicked off my pants and then leaned against the wall; blood, it was running down my legs. This couldn't be good, and I'm not even sure how to even stop bleeding in that area. I knew that cold water constricted blood vessels, making a wound bleed less, but that was about all the I could think of. Sighing, I stripped the rest of my clothes and limped over to the bathtub. Since these rooms weren't in use, there was a fine layer of dust inside, but I didn't pay any attention to that. Instead, I plugged the drain and turned the faucet on.

I could feel the crimson liquid dropping down my thighs, and I didn't know whether to be disgusted or worried. Once the tub had a few inches of water, I got inside, hissing as the freezing water shocked my system.

What a fucking idiot I was, nothing was going as I planned. If Yukio never found out, we would've never spent hours at the hospital, and I could've done the laundry last night. Who knows how much better that situation could've been, but I'll never know because I blew everything. I could've handled this by myself, I've been doing it for over half my life, but no, I ruined it. It's all my fault, isn't it?

The one thing I never wanted was for Yukio to find out, but once that issue came to light, I froze and couldn't do anything. It just goes to show how hopeless I. Now, not only am I suffering, but now my brother is, too. Christ, the cram school students knew, as well. That thought made me want to disappear, how the hell would I ever face them again?

I sighed, watching as the clear water slowly turned pink. I was shivering, but the cold was nothing compared to the burning in my lower abdomen. Christ, I'm a mess, for the son of Satan, I'm more of a nuisance than a threat. How much better off would Yukio be without me? I shook my head, I can't afford to think like that right now, that's just being selfish. I needed to focus on keeping Yukio happy during this time, now that I've caused him stress, the least I could do is try to erase it.

I heard pounding footsteps and my heart rate spiked. I pulled my knees to my chest and tried to cover myself as much as possible. I heard Yukio running in my direction, and when his figure appeared in the bathroom doorway, I blushed heavily. His eyes were wide and he look panicked. "What's going on? What happened?" He huffed and entered the room, only making me more uncomfortable.

"I-it's nothing, I just fell. I'm fine." He walked even closer and shook his head.

"How bad are you bleeding?"

I chewed on my lip and looked away, "it's practically stopped now," I actually had no idea, but the water hadn't gotten any deeper in color for awhile. "I'm fine, honestly."

"I told you to stop doing that," he sighed and closed his eyes. "I'll be right back, stay there, okay?" I sighed and he didn't wait for my answer, probably assuming I wouldn't be able to move far, anyway.

This is humiliating, no matter what I do, I'm always causing havoc. Maybe... maybe Yukio would be better off without me. I shook my head once more, I have to stop thinking that way, it wouldn't get me anywhere.

Yukio returned soon after with a towel in hand, "do you need help?" He held out his hand and I begrudgingly grasped it, allowing him to pull me to my feet. Everything still hurt, but thankfully, it had lessened and I didn't seem to be bleeding as bad. "Should we go back to the hospital? That could get infected." I shook my head, I was not going to a hospital two days in a row, and I sure in hell am not letting more people look at me naked. I shuddered at the thought, and Yukio sighed. "Your hands are freezing, is that cold water?" He sighed again, "you should dry off, you'll get a cold like this."

"That's an old wives tale, being cold only lowers your immune system a bit, it doesn't automatically get you sick."

He gave me a strained smile, "let's not take any chances, though." I huffed and he threw the towel over me. I watched as he bent down to unplug the drain, pink water disappearing down the pipes. "I'm oddly numb about this."

"Huh?"

He shrugged and turned to me, "maybe it's stress, but this doesn't surprise or bother me as much as it probably should." He scoffed, "I mean, to be frank, my twin brother literally was just bleeding from his ass, but... I don't know."

A wrinkle formed between my brows with concern, "are you okay, Yukio?"

"I'm okay... Nii-san."

Something wasn't right, he was avoiding this, wasn't he? But why would he bring it up if he was just going to hide it? I shook my head, clutching my towel around me tighter. "I love you, Nii-chan."

His eyes whipped over to me, something shining inside of them for a moment. "I love you, too." He smiled, "I think a towel would be a bit awkward to wear around the dorm, eh? I'll go get some clothes." I nodded my head and let him slip past me.

Maybe I was imagining it, but Yukio seemed upset. Of course, that would be expected considering the past twenty-four hours. However, he was unsettled more than he let on, or at least I think so. Maybe I'm just stressed and imagining these things, that would make a lot more sense. I sighed and dried myself off, fleeting thoughts crossing through my mind. My brother's odd behavior could easily be written off as a reaction to my secret.

I rolled my eyes, my idiocy always came back around to haunt me. I couldn't help imagining how much better my life would be today if Yukio hadn't found out. Christ, his life would be so much better if he hadn't found out. A small pang of guilt hit me in the chest and I sighed.

I was somehow at fault for a majority of his pain, wasn't I?