"He has to go now?!" Suguro gasped. Rin had just been taken by an Exorcist to take his Qualification Exam.

"Yes. He made a deal and he has to honor it. If he passes, then he will be an Exorcist. I don't know what rank or even if they'll allow him the rank he deserves. But if he fails, he gets executed." Yukio explained. There was obviously no point in teaching a lesson today. All of the students would be anxious over Rin, so they wouldn't be able to concentrate.

"Do you guys really think of him as a friend?" Yukio wondered.

"I mean....yeah. He's kept us alive until now. Watched our backs. Even if it is just because we're amusing to him." Suguro answered.

"The plus side is also that we know what he can do. He has pretty much no personality except 'kind of an ass' but as long as none of us betray him, we live. So we know what we're getting into, right?" Izumo spoke up.

"Rin might not know it, but he needs people to run to. People he can trust other than himself. So we'll be here. And if I have to, I'll break him out before they execute him!" Shiemi piped up, determined. Yukio smiled.

Rin didn't even have to try and somehow, these people still thought of him as a friend. Yukio wished he could've been a better brother when they were younger. Things might've been better. Or maybe they would be worse, but one could never tell.

"Thank you. I was not there for him when we were younger. He didn't necessarily need it, but it helps to have a partner in crime, I suppose. I'm grateful to you all for caring about him." Yukio told them.

"Now, shall we go? There's a waiting room outside the place they hold the examinations. We can swing by your dorms and get something to entertain us." Yukio suggested. The students cheered and they all packed up their things and left.

§~•~§~•~§

"No, Shima, we're not playing Strip Poker. This is a waiting room, not the Okumuras' Dorm. And you're supposed to be a Monk, dammit!" Suguro growled when they finished their third game of Go Fish.

"I brought Clue!" Shiemi opened the box and set out the board.

§~•~§~•~§

An hour later and they were really into Clue. Even Yukio was playing.

"Alright, let's see....Colonel Mustard, with the pipe, in the Study. Can anybody disprove that?" Yukio asked. Suguro shook his head. After him, Shima. Konekomeru nodded and everyone looked away as he leaned over to show Yukio the card. The young teacher nodded and checked off Colonel Mustard on his list.

Suguro rolled the die and cursed when he only got a three. "You can just use the secret passage." Shiemi pointed out helpfully. Suguro used the passage and just as he was about to make an accusation, the huge double doors blasted open and a body came flying into the room, landing on their board and throwing the pieces and cards everywhere.

"The next time you try to rig an examination, make sure it's not me you're examining, Rico!" Rin's voice called from the room.

"Hiroki, I see you over there, quit it!" A man's voice screamed in response. "Oh don't gimme that shit, I know it was you who threw that knife!" The sound of two heavy hits and a body hitting the floor echoed from inside the room and everyone in the waiting room winced.

Rin finally appeared in the doorway. "All of you waited for me? I thought you'd be in class." The half-demon admitted.

Yukio smiled sheepishly. "They wouldn't have been able to concentrate on their work, so I brought them here to wait for you." He said, looking over his twin.

Rin's clothes were ripped and torn in places, along with several bloodstains that probably weren't his. Soot dirtied his face, so there may have been explosions involved during the exam. He was breathing hard,but he looked pretty damn proud of himself.

"Were they worrying that much?" Rin wondered. His twin nodded.

"Rin! Are you okay?!" Shiemi, like normal, threw herself on him and looked for wounds. She found several, but none too bad. "This one might need stitches! You need to clean these before they get infected!" She reported to him. He grinned and patted her on the head in assurance. "I'll be fine, Flower Girl." He brushed it off. She clung onto him, hugging him tightly.

"Do....do you think you passed?" She wondered quietly. Izumo walked up and patted Rin on the shoulder.

"I better have passed for all the shit I just took care of." He growled. As if on cue, a groan sounded from deep inside the room.

"Shut it Shinji, you're fine, I barely touched you." Rin called behind him.

"You broke my arm, you bastard!" A response was shouted and Rin snickered.

"Shinji, if I come back in there, I can guarantee that you won't come out." Rin threatened with a grin.

A yelp was heard and then silence once again.

"No fair, why does Rin get all the girls? He's a jerk!" Shima whined.

"Well if ya come over here, I'll have you too. Don't know if that counts for anything in your book, but I already basically own you, so....." The teen shrugged. Shima thought a moment before sighing and going over to the half demon and hugging the side Shiemi wasn't on.

"Rin, this is the 2000's, you can't own people anymore." Yukio told him. "He chose me, it's not my fault you're jealous you don't have your own side in a war between Exorcists, A cult, and the Antichrist." Rin shrugged. Yukio sighed and gave up. Shima was on his own now.

"Fuck you, I'm also on your side!" Izumo snapped.

"Same here." Suguro added.

"I have to protect Bon, so I must also join." Konekomeru said.

"Sweet. More meat shields." He commented. Izumo slapped his arm and he chuckled.

"Just kidding. You're more useful to me as a team. As long as we can work out good strategies we'll sucker-punch those bastards in the gut no problem." Rin admitted.

"That sounds awesome." Shiemi smiled up at the half-demon. Rin rolled his eyes.

"It's just tactics." He grumbled, looking away.

Yukio gaped at his twin.

Never in his life had Rin acted like that. He'd never grumbled or looked away, as if he was embarrassed by the girl's positive reaction. But then again, he used to ignore Shiemi because she annoyed him. In Shimane after the Illuminati Base, he'd told Yukio to keep an eye on her. And he loved messing with Suguro for his entertaining reactions, but he'd never actually tried to receive attention from anyone but Suguro. And the only person to ever earn his respect was Izumo.

All this happened slowly over these last months. Rin had almost known his classmates a full year. This was proof that maybe he just needed someone to actually try to get through to him. Maybe he wasn't hopeless. Maybe when he'd shut himself down as a kid after the Incident, they should've given him attention and love and he might have been able to be a somewhat normal kid.

Yukio smiled and walked at the back of the group, laughing at their antics when Shima and Shiemi were holding onto Rin's arms the old fashioned way, like they we're walking into a fancy  Gala or something.

"The hell are you guys doing?! We're in a highschool, not the 50's American Casinos in L.A.!" Suguro told them. He seemed content with getting attention from Rin as well now that he knew he was Rin's favorite.

Yukio chuckled. What was it with people and wanting his brother's attention so much? Yeah, their fangirls and fanboys at school were normal because Yukio and his twin were both hot. But these people especially seemed to crave his attention. Maybe it was because he was strong and unlike anyone else in this school. Or the world for that matter. There was no one who could ever come close to being like Rin on this planet.

Yukio promised himself he'd try harder to be a good brother. He'd always told himself he was looking out for Rin–that he was protecting Rin–when really, he resented Rin for being able to do everything on his own with no help at all while Yukio had always needed help from Shiro or the clergymen.

Shura had once told him his bitterness would leave him open for possession one day.

No more bitterness. No more jealousy. He killed demons, he didn't welcome them. He needed to get his act together.

Besides, even if he wanted to do something crazy like joining the Illuminati, Rin would hunt him down and kill him with no hesitation. Rin understood how to control the tides of war. Either neutralize or kill off the threats.

Yukio believed Rin could win.

§~•~§~•~§

"He passed?!" Angel roared. He was positively furious. Mephisto was shaking with laughter at the Paladin's expense while the Arc Knights all assesed the information in front of them.

"These results are outstanding." Lucy Yang, Head of China Branch, admitted.

"I agree. I've never seen a single Exorcist, not his brother and not even the late Paladin, get perfect scores. He is a bright one." Osceola Redarm, Head of Mexico Branch, agreed.

"You don't have to be a genius to pass the test, per se. It's all about not overthinking things. Instead of giving complete answers like his twin, he gave the simplest ways to solve the problems with as little reprocussions as possible. It's kinda like being lazy if I'm being honest." Lewin Light, Arc Knight from American Branch, grinned.

"I approve. He will be a worthy weapon for us." Shemihaza said.

"He got Knight and Tamer on the first try?" Drac, Romanian Arc Knight, asked. "Well, it was his only try. I'd wanna make sure I got a good position in the place that's gonna be using me as a living weapon too." Lightning defended the teenager.

"He wanted to show us up! I'm telling you all, we should kill him while we have the chance! He'll hurt us more than help us!" Angel was still raging. Mephisto grinned to himself.

None of these fools even realized that they had absolutely no control over Rin. Rin chose to do this solely for entertainment–like a true Demon Prince. Mephisto had never really understood pride in one's kin until now. Rin would be everyone's downfall if he so chose it and Mephisto would be there for it.

"No, Angel. He passed fair and square. Even after you rigged it." Lucy denied him. Angel's face turned red like a cherry and he huffed, sitting down in his seat. He'd been caught. Of course, the counsel had known he'd rigged it and wanted to see if Rin passed even after the sabotage. Or if he caught onto the sabotage at all. And he'd done both.

"So, what shall his rank be? We are doing this fairly, I assume?" Mephisto gave everyone around the table a pleasant grin.