MORE AONO IDIOTS

[barriermaiden]

[Idiots. All of them.

Bon was tired. After a day of tending to the sick, as well as tending to family obligations, there was not much else to do but take a bath and sleep. But there was so much to worry about: the mess with Todo, where this sickness was coming from, Rin's demon heritage...

Bon frowned. Rin was a constant worry. As if there weren't enough troubles in Bon's life already, now there was one more idiot to worry about. He was lazy, he was stupid, and he happened to be the son of Bon's sworn enemy, the one Bon was going to defeat.

But somehow, Bon couldn't be mad at him. Mad at the lies, yes, but not at Rin's heritage. He couldn't help it, right? It wasn't like a child could do anything about who their parents were. Rin was at fault just as much as Bon was at fault for the Suguro family problems.

Speaking of family problems...

Bon looked left, then right. Nobody else was in the changing room. Good. Carefully, Bon lifted up the sweater and shirt, and carefully pulled them off. The bindings on her chest were still holding strong, though they were becoming uncomfortable as time passed. She was growing, she figured. Pretty soon she would no longer be small-chested enough for bandages, and she would have to use actual bras.

It wasn't that she was uncomfortable with being a girl. No, Bon was fine with that. But what she wasn't fine with was all the assumptions that went along with it. Girls did this. Girls did that. Girls didn't get their ears pierced, or dyed their hair, or acted in the way Bon always had.

Bon wasn't about to change who she was just because society told her to, but the pressure was on her. Especially since she was a scholarship student, too: Nobody expected a tomboy to be tough and smart. So, it had just been easier to hide her gender under bandages and pants. It was only three years, after all. Once she graduated and got her Meister, how she acted wouldn't matter at all. Once she was an exorcist, nobody could take that away from her. She could be who she wanted.

But for now, she could pretend to be a boy. Shima and Koneko knew, by virtue of having grown up with her. Her teachers (including Yukio) and the staff at the school knew, since her actual gender was listed on her school records. But everyone else? They had no clue.

At least, as long as nobody saw her topless, they wouldn't know. Hopefully no idiot boys would wander in to the changing room and stumble upon her in her half-dressed state.]

Comments

[keepsthefire]

[whoops dragged]

Exactly what it fuckin' looks like. Nothin' is ever gonna change if you don't raise hell about how you're bein' treated!

[barriermaiden]

Did you ever stop to think that maybe there's a reason I don't speak out against it? That maybe, just maybe, anything I do will affect more than just myself?

[keepsthefire]

Tch. That's such bullshit.

[barriermaiden]

And here I thought you'd understand that most things in this world are bullshit.

[Bon lets go of Rin's shirt, though it's a little forceful.]

When I told you to watch, I meant that. Watch. Once you're an adult, then you can work at changing things. But you don't want to get involved in the nonsense going on here.

There's a reason me, Koneko, and Shima went all the way to True cross for school.

[keepsthefire]

[He stumbles a little, but doesn't bother fixing his shirt after.]

So you wanna be miserable for the rest of the time you're a kid?

[barriermaiden]

Did I look miserable on the camping trip?

[Even though a large part of her life is a huge secret at school, she still does enjoy being there. It's just hard to see sometimes, with how much she frowns.]

[keepsthefire]

Well--! ... n... no, I guess not...

[barriermaiden]

[There, see? Proof that she can be happy sometimes!]

I'm not unhappy. This stuff is a pain in the ass, and sometimes I wish I didn't have to pretend to be a boy just to get what I want in life, but it's not something I can't live with for now.

Just...If you want to help, don't yell at old people. Treat me 'n Moriyama 'n Kamiki like equals, like friends, and that'll be enough.

[keepsthefire]

I--...

[But it's still going to piss him off whenever he sees it!

Still... she's asking for the only thing he wants, too. To be treated like a friend.]

... okay...

[barriermaiden]

[With that, Bon will finally let Rin go and return to work. Because they have a lot to do, after all.

Up until the night the second eye is stolen and they have to bust Rin out of the jail cell, of course. Everything up until they meet Karura goes as normal, but there is much more resistance to letting Bon take on Karura's contract with Tatsuma, even though the demon says Bon can still manage it.

And when she and Rin are up on the mountain, riding Kuro to get up close to the Impure King, that's when Bon has her doubts.]

Okumurua, I don't know if I can do it!

[keepsthefire]

[You picked a great time do start doubting, Bon. Considering what Rin went through in that fucked up jail of Mephisto's, and just how much he's doubting himself right now...

But he has to try. For his friends. He wants them to survive, he wants everyone to survive.

He wants to see Kyoto, in all it's glory, not ruined by the rot of the Impure King.]

We can do this!

[barriermaiden]

[Yeah, she's just holding onto him, trying her best not to fall off of Kuro's back.]

We're just students! What if we mess up?

[Sure, Bon's got the barrier, and Rin's far stronger than most students, but what if it's still not enough? What if the Impure King gets out anyway?

Rin still can't draw his sword anyway, so once Bon gets the barrier up, they'll be stuck.]

[keepsthefire]

[He can't right now, and yet... yet he's still smiling that pained smile. He won't look at the negatives, even with the rot all around them, and his sword still stuck in it's sheath.

He shakes his head at Bon.]

Everyone's probably... workin' hard, and doin' their best. So we gotta do our best, too! C'mon, Princess Suguro! Just focus on gettin' the barrier set up!

[barriermaiden]

[Somehow being called that just makes her indignant.]

P-Princess?! What about me screams 'princess' to you?

[But hey, suddenly she's not so worried about her doubts, so maybe that was a good idea?]

[keepsthefire]

[Just as planned.]

Haa... you're right, you're too crude to be a princess~ I wouldn't wanna be a knight to some one who whines as much as you!

[Rin you are an ass.

But an affective one.]

[barriermaiden]

What- W-well I wouldn't want to be rescued by someone as stupid as you!

[Now they're both idiots. And Bon might be punching Rin, a little.]

[keepsthefire]

Ow--!

Then prove it! Prove you've got what it takes to be the kind of exorcist that doesn't need to be rescued!

[Says the idiot who's clearly shaking.]

[barriermaiden]

Instead of being rescued, I'd rather just fight on a team!

[Because watching out for someone while they watch out for her is infinitely better than both being rescued and standing alone.]

[keepsthefire]

[Rin is glad for that, and he grins even more.]

We are a team! And we're gonna get through this together!

[barriermaiden]

We better! Because I'll never forgive you if you don't pull your own weight!

[That's just Bon being Bon.

She does get the barrier up with no problems, though. It looks like it doesn't matter if she's a son or daughter, as long as she carries the right bloodline in her.]

[keepsthefire]

[Rin may be a slacker in the classroom, but when it comes to the safety of his friends he's more than willing to pull his weight and everyone else if need be.

So the barrier gets up, and they're where they need to be to do... something except that Rin still can't the sword out, and the longer they're up there the more frightened he's becoming. What if he can't pull it again ever? What if this is really the end because he can't pull his confidence out of whatever hole it's gone in to?

He's shaking, they've been knocked around several times, the miasma and rot is everywhere and it looks like they're not going to make it...

But Rin turns to Bon with a pained grin and declares loudly.]

I wanna go to Kyoto Tower!

[barriermaiden]

[She had been focusing on the barrier, on keeping it up, and on yelling at Rin whenever the miasma got too close. Because she knows that if she's compromised, the barrier will fall. She really does need Rin to be her knight right now.

But he can't draw his sword, and he's really fighting a losing battle here-]

Wh-what? Why Kyoto tower?!

[keepsthefire]

I wanna go! I wanna see it, I wanna see everythin' awesome about Kyoto!

[A losing battle, and yet there he is, declaring something so... pointless.

Except it's not pointless to him, and that becomes obvious as he turns to look back at the looming, imposing mess that is the Impure King.]

I gotta... save everyone... so we can all go together...

[barriermaiden]

...Idiot!

[Yeah, she's been thinking that all night. But it's time to finally say it.]

There's more places to see than Kyoto Tower! So go be the hero, and I'll show you whatever you want to see.

[keepsthefire]

What's what I wanted to hear.

[Shaking hands, rattling sword case, palms sweaty, body aching...

But he had to do it. He had to pull the sword out or else this was all going to be for nothing.]