Everything felt so heavy, like I was being swallowed whole by thick sludge. Even breathing was almost painful. The thickness that enveloped my body grew stronger as the seconds ticked by, as if I was being pulled farther down by gravity. Pain started to flow at certain parts of my body, but I focused on the gnawing that ate itself through my abdomen and in my throat. It was like a small black hole had formed inside me and was slowly pulling my organs inward.

A sliver a light pierced my eyes as they opened. I screwed my eyes shut, begging the darkness to take me back. However, my brief interaction with the waking world threw me straight back into my senses. I was laying down, and when I gingerly touched beneath me, I realized I was on a mattress. Curiously, I cracked an eye open once more, bearing with the blinding light until my sight adjusted. The walls were unfamiliar, but I could easily deduce I was in the school's infirmary.

With that realization, memories of what had just occurred returned to the forefront of my mind. I had the urge to groan but held my tongue when the metallic click of door opening echoed in the room.

"Okumura Yukio-kun," the voice was light and sweet, female and from what I could tell, she was fairly young. "I'm so sorry to pull you out of your lessons like this but-"

"It's okay, but what happened?" I knew his voice instantly. Underneath the calm tone he portrayed, I could hear a slight inflection. At first I thought he was angry, but as footsteps drew closer, I heard him sigh. He must've been worried. I'm not sure what they told him, but he had been overthinking every possible scenario on his way here.

"His class had fitness testing, and while running on the track, he allegedly started moving into other lanes before kneeling down. The kids that brought him here said he seemed dazed before going in and out of consciousness."

I could feel their eyes on me and I struggled to keep up the facade that I was still asleep. Breathing was suddenly manual and my skin itched at the thought of them observing any possible movements. But now didn't seem like a good time to wake up.

"Was he coherent at all when they got here?" My twin asked.

"No, the kids stated he passed out briefly outside. But he woke up a bit and was able to take a few steps on his own with assistance before completely shutting down. He's been here for about ten minutes now and hasn't woken." Footsteps moved away from where I was laying, but it only sounded like one pair of shoes. "Again, I'm terribly sorry to call you here, Okumura-kun. I looked in your file for your guardian's number but you were the only emergency contact for him."

"Ahhh," he drew out, "our guardian is... busy, to say the least. But like I said, it's nothing. I'm sorry to have worried you like this. He's been under a lot of pressure lately, and he's prone to wearing himself out." He let out a breathy laugh. "I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't sleep much last night, so he's probably catching up." Damn him, he wasn't wrong, again. But the sleep I got was anything but refreshing. The female voice continued to worry over my current state. I assumed she was the nurse, considering what she had said. I used the opportunity to stretch a bit, the room falling quiet in response.

Cracking open my eyes for the third time was just as harsh as the first and I winced at the sudden attack on my retina. Involuntarily I groaned, which only helped seal the idea that I'd only just awoken. In a flurry, the nurse was beside me, asking me simple questions such as my name and the current year. I answered her and slowly pushed myself upward to sit. Stabbing pain erupted in my head and I shoved my face into my palms. "What's wrong?" Yukio's voice was low and comforting, i just stayed silent, waiting for the throbbing to go away. Once I felt like I could handle it, I pulled my hands from my eyes and looked at my brother through squinted eyes.

There was a crease settled between his brows and his mouth had turned downward at the corners. His lips parted as if he were about to speak, but the nurse cut in before he could utter a word. "Rin-kun, what was the last thing you had to eat?"

Immediately my cheeks felt hot and I scrambled to give an answer. "I had corn flakes this morning." It probably wasn't the best to say I couldn't hold my breakfast down and in reality the last meal I'd been able to stomach was yesterday morning.

The nurse hummed and scolded me briefly for missing a meal before sighing. "This explains the fainting, your blood sugar probably dropped, especially during the intense exercise." She turned on her heels, but not before addressing my twin. "I'll be back with something from the cafeteria. Could I ask that you stay here with him? There's a button on the lower left side of the phone; press it to page me if I need to come back." Yukio nodded and we both watched in silence as she exited the infirmary.

As soon as the door latched, he turned his gaze to meet my eyes. His own narrowed slightly before he pressed for information. "What didn't you eat lunch?" Fuck! I averted my gaze to an empty bed beside me, gnawing on my lip as I tried to find a viable excuse. The air stirred around us with expectation and trepidation. I couldn't simply say I wasn't hungry, he'd see right through me. A well fed body wouldn't faint like that. And it's not like I didn't have the time to eat either. His foot began tapping impatiently against the tile and I swallowed around the knot that was forming in my throat. "Rin," he urged, disappointment already lacing his tone.

Goddammit, he can't take this away from me, too.

Abruptly, my mind buzzed with a possibility and I sank back onto the bed. I threw my arms over my face, hiding my expression from my observant twin. "Yukio," I stated quietly and immediately his incessant foot tapping ceased. "I almost slipped up today."

He was silent for a moment, and his voice was wary once he finally spoke. "What do you mean by that?"

Hook.

I took a deep breath and shuffled myself lower into the mattress. "In class, before lunch, there were some kids." My lip pulled up into a sneer, and it wasn't for dramatic effect. In fact, he couldn't see my face through my arms. "They said some shit... and it got to me."

He hummed softly, "what did they say to you?"

Line.

"They were talking shit about my scars and said something about blowing Mephisto for a scholarship." A low growl sounded from him and I knew I was about to win. "It was eating at me, so during lunch I went back ti the dorm." His breath hitched, and while I knew I was toying with his emotions, I didn't want to upset him more than need be. I rushed my next words, "I didn't do it, just so you know. I don't know why, though." It still baffled me. "But I almost did, and that's why I didn't eat when I should have."

Moments passed in silence before I heard him inhale quietly. "Why didn't you call me?"

And sinker.

I dropped my arms to my side, and when I looked into his teal irises, I knew he'd completely bypassed my fainting spell. His concern would be driven toward my close relapse, and while I'm sure I'd suffer for this choice for the next few days — it was a much better option than having him find out I threw up routinely. "Nii-san?" I blinked and he reiterated his question.

"I didn't want to bother you."

He sighed emphatically, "you're not a bother. Especially with something like that." I simply shrugged but he grew even more serious. "I mean it, Rin. If it was during lunchtime, I was completely free, I would've dropped everything."

I blushed and hid under my bangs. "That sounds like the definition of bothering you."

"Oh my god, you're hopeless." He retorted, but thankfully it didn't hold any contempt.

.oOo.

The nurse returned shortly thereafter. She apologized for holding us there for so long, but she'd needed to hunt down an attendant to reheat the food. She's handed me a melon flavored soda and a small plastic bowl with what looked to be pierogi. Despite my aching stomach, I ate the meal gratefully. While my habit hindered my ability to keep food down, it didn't mean I lacked an appetite. Yukio had supervised me while I ate, most likely analyzing me for anything amiss. Luckily, the food was delicious and I ate faster than I probably should have. My stomach twisted and the nurse scolded me once again. I'd waved her off and she told us we were free to leave once I finished my drink.

Yukio let her know that he'd be taking me out of classes for the day. She shot him a look but quickly withdrew when he reiterated that he was my emergency contact for a reason. Without any other evidence, she relented and phoned the front desk to inform them of my absences. All the while, I sipped my soda and watched as she caved under him. Never thought a fifteen year old would get the upper hand in this type of situation, but then again, I never thought I'd be the son of Satan.

Fifteen minutes later I was finished with my drink and the nurse informed us I was excused for the rest of the day. However, Yukio would have to return to school after the current class was over. He told me he'd walk me back to the dorm before returning. I tried to argue, but he glared at me and I took the hint to pick my battles.

The walk back was uneventful. No one was in the hallways not in the courtyard due to the ongoing lectures. As we neared the dorm, I cast a glance in my brother's direction, seeing that he was lost in thought. My teeth pulled at the skin of my bottom lip and I didn't question him. It wasn't until we were inside the dorm and several feet from our room that Yukio broke the dead air. "Will you be okay alone? I can stay."

I shook my head and pushed open the bedroom door. Inside, Kuro jumped upward and let out a startled cry. "I'll be fine, you missed an entire class because of me, you need to go back."

Displeasure colored his features as he ushered me to my bed. I held back the urge to roll my eyes and plopped down onto the linen. "Nii-san," he chided, "I couldn't give a damn if I missed the rest of the day. Are you sure you'll be okay? It's not a big deal for me to play hooky."

I quirked an eyebrow at him as Kuro jumped up into my lap. He questioned our presence but I ignored him for the moment. "You, ditching? That's not something you should be saying as the representative of our class."

His scowl deepened even further and he moved to kneel down in front of my bed. He placed his palms on my knees and leveled with me. "Rin, listen to me. I don't fucking care about school, I don't care about representing or leading others. And I definitely don't care if skipping my next class has consequences. What I do care about is you. If you have any inclination that you won't be okay, I'll call up the front desk and excuse myself right here."

I felt sheepish under his intense gaze, and his words had emotions swirling in my stomach. What those emotions were, I couldn't tell, but they made me uncomfortable nonetheless. Kuro seemed to understand that the conversation was quite serious and he moved to sit at the foot of my bed. This left me vulnerable in front of my brother's eyes. I shifted slightly, moving his hands off of my knees and pulling my legs to my chest. "I'll be fine, Yukio. I promise."

I could feel his eyes slowly burning against my skin, but I couldn't look at him, it felt too personal. Finally, he exhaled, "okay. But," he chimed quickly, "you call me with even the slight inconvenience, as you would say. Got it?" I nodded and he pushed himself away from the bed. I watched idly as he moved toward the threshold before pausing. His remained still for a moment, as if he were contemplating, before walking to the closet and rifling through it. I craned my neck to see what he was looking for, but his torso covered my view. I quirked an eyebrow when he pulled his hand back, quickly shoving something into his pocket before turning his head and offering me another goodbye. Bewildered, I returned the gesture. The door closed with a soft click and my arm was immediately prodded. I turned to look to my side and came face to face with an expectant Kuro.

"Care to explain what happened after lunch?"