Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Fairy Tail or Blue Exorcist
Just getting a ship rented out to them was far easier than getting someone to sail them to Galuna Island. It was cheaper too, since they no longer had to pay for the crew that would man the ship either. Though, Rin still could see how wary Mira was about the plan. They had alternated staying up and keeping watch last night, so they were both somewhat tired, but that didn't change the fact that she wasn't all that fond of Zeref after their little meeting last night.
She was quiet on the ship when Rin felt Zeref take over. He did it with such ease, in a way that made Rin wonder if he technically could take control at any time. Yet, he didn't get the chance to ask, and Zeref was quickly getting to work on preparing the boat to sail. "Galuna Island, correct?" Mira nodded, and Zeref started adjusting the sails, preparing the ship to leave. Before long, they were on the water, with Zeref focused on navigation instead. Rin could only stare in the background and watch, amazed at how he did it with ease. "What fools they are, to think an entire island is cursed. Then again, I suppose there are valid reasons to dislike curses in the first place."
"And there are valid reasons to not want someone possessing your body as well, though you seem to lack an understanding of that too."
Zeref chuckled, shaking his head. "I've allowed others to control myself before. It was…an experiment of sorts, with a style of…I suppose for simplicity's sake, I'll call it magic, that I invented. It was used by another, quite loyal to me, with the intent that she'd force myself to die."
"I don't want to hear about your suicide attempts. That's just…"
"Depressing?" Zeref seemed to get oddly amused with depressing topics. Rin had noticed that before, but he didn't get why. "You were the one who brought up possession as a subject. I was merely responding with my own experience in the concept, correcting your false belief that I have never experienced such magic used against myself."
"And are you saying you liked the feeling?" Mira was almost sounding like her old self when talking to Zeref, snarky and angry. Rin almost smiled at it, knowing that this was probably closer to the real Mira than the smiles she gave the rest of the guild.
"I am saying that it had its uses, and I would be willing to repeat the same magic if it would succeed in my goals. Rin understands that this is assisting his goals, after all, and as such, he is willing to agree. We are mutually benefiting from our current situation. I can kill any enemies that threaten him, and ensure his protection by extending my immortality to—"
"Wait, immortality?"
"Didn't Rin mention I had attempted to take my own life? That it was my very goal to perish? I thought that would imply such a thing was a challenge to achieve for me, if not an impossibility."
She stared at him, and Rin was somewhat thinking about it as well. Now that he thought about it, his body really hadn't changed much over the last few years. He'd written off his healing as part of his demon powers, but really, it could have come from magic too. The lack of aging, though, would have to be the immortal thing. Rin just figured he'd reached the point where he wouldn't grow any taller, and hadn't thought much more of it. "Immortality is impossible."
Waving her off, Zeref stayed focused on the water. "People claim many things are impossible. I tend to be the one that proves them wrong, in this case among others."
"Next you're going to be telling me that the dead can come back to life."
This time, Zeref did not reply, but Rin saw a flash of something in his mind. It was weird, seeing his memories while flipped like this, but it still seemed like it could happen. "Leave that alone, Rin." Zeref's voice was harsh, making Rin almost flinch back from the flashing image. "I know what you are likely seeing. Block your mind instead. You do not wish to see such things." Yet, it was a bit late for that. He'd already seen a glimpse of it…seeing Zeref standing over a strange creature come to life. It hadn't looked…human, but it still walked on two feet. The term demon came to mind, but it didn't make much sense.
"What is he doing?"
Mira's question made Zeref scowl, sighing. "Looking through my memories again. Seeing things best left alone."
He heard warnings this time, almost intentionally shifting. "They do not lie, Rin. Stay out of my memories this time." He heard adults, talking about how the wrath of the gods would be invoked for this work. They warned him about how he'd be punished for trying to…bring the dead back to life. He remembered Zeref's goal with Natsu, blinking in surprise. He'd succeeded, but it came with a cost. Pulling back, he gradually tried to stop watching those memories, worried about what knowing would do to him if he already had Zeref's mind mixing with his own.
"There you go." How Zeref knew he was listening in and when was a mystery, but he seemed to rub his head tiredly. "Avoid questioning me about dangerous topics, Mirajane. There are dangers in my mind that could have more dire affects on Rin than you realize."
"You're protecting him." She seemed to smile softly. "As angry as you get with me, as annoyed as you seem…you really do—"
"Don't." Zeref cut her off, shaking his head. "I care about nothing and no one. Do not try and convince me otherwise, or this trip will end quite differently." What did that have to do with anything? Rin frowned, but Mira seemed to stare at him with wide eyes.
"That…that's it, isn't it? How you control the death magic…it relates to how much you care for others."
The more one values life, the more one is forced to take it away. If one forgets the value of life entirely, then complete control over this ultimate magic is granted. The cursed user shall suffer for all of eternity, becoming immortal to ensure that they see— The memory almost forced Rin away, making him gasp in shock. It wasn't like the others, with images flashing in his head. No…this one was almost read to him, like a passage from some book. "He's heard it. Do not blame me for the damage you have just done."
Mira blinked, but Rin was feeling cold. He killed…because he cared about others? What kind of logic was that? Even if he wanted to stop, it wasn't like he could just stop caring about people. They were his friends, and it wasn't like he could just…turn off his emotions or something. Yet, Zeref seemed to do it. What would happen if he tried? Did he even want to? Thinking about Mira's smile towards him, and how protective she was, he hesitated. He wanted her to be his friend. He wanted to keep going on jobs with Natsu, and laughing when he and Gray got into ridiculous fights. Would he really let something like a curse that wasn't his stop him?
The boat docked before Mira could talk again. Without another word to her, Zeref vanished again, letting Rin return and stumble forward on the rocking boat. "Rin? Are you okay?"
Giving her a smile, he nodded. "Yeah…I just didn't think about the boat rocking. He was in control the whole time, so it's not like I had the chance to adjust or anything."
She smiled, offering her hand to help him off. Stepping onto the island, he glanced around with a frown. He didn't know where Natsu was, but it had to be in this place. Walking forward, he noticed Mira walking by his side, hesitating to talk again. "What is it, Mira? You just staring at me like that is making me feel like I've gotten a stain on my shirt or something. Or…wait, did I grow a second tail?" He spun around, trying to see, only for Mira to laugh at his antics.
"Really? You come up with the strangest ideas, Rin." His cheeks warmed as she patted his arm, walking past him. "No, I was just thinking about what Spriggan said, about the death magic. He seemed to think it would have a bad effect on your or something."
"I…I don't know." Rin frowned, staring at his feet as he walked. "I mean, I want the magic to stop. There's no doubt about that. But, forgetting about my friends? Not letting myself value the fact that they're alive, at all? I don't think it's possible, let alone something I'd want to even try accomplishing. I mean, if I didn't value the fact that you were alive, what would be stopping me from killing you anyway? That's just…one twisted curse there."
Reaching over, Mira slowly grabbed his hand. Rin frowned, staring down as her fingers wove within his, squeezing it for a moment as they walked. "Good. I was hoping…hoping you'd still hold onto that, Rin. Maybe that is one way to control the magic that's scaring you so much, but I don't want this to force you to run away from us. Fairy Tail…maybe we haven't given you the freedom you want, but we always care for our own and want to make you feel like family. Having someone run away from that…and for a reason like this…I don't know what I'd do. Part of me doesn't think I'd be able to stop myself from going after you and trying to change your mind, Rin."
Laughing, Rin used his free hand to scratch the back of his head. "Yep! Well, you have nothing to worry about, because I'm not going anywhere! After all, you guys are the only family I've got, right?"
"When you put it that way, it sounds like you don't have another choice, Rin."
"Even if I did, I don't think I'd pick anyone else." He grinned at her, feeling his hand growing warm with hers still grabbing it. She didn't seem to notice that her hand was still there, holding his as they walked. Yet, Rin wasn't going to object, since it was helping him remember where he belonged. He wasn't going to just sit back and let magic control his life. If he wanted to be a part of Fairy Tail and have friends, he would. He'd show Zeref that there were other ways to deal with the curse in the process, and maybe help him cheer up enough to return to his own life instead.
It was night when they arrived on the island, and Rin had no idea where they were going. Mira had started taking the lead, wandering around within the trees of the tropical place. Above them, the moon shone with an odd purple light. He didn't get why it was purple and not white, but he wasn't going to question it as they started their search for Natsu. The dragon slayer had to be somewhere around here, and if he wasn't, Lucy would be and could lead them to the fire wizard.
Focused on their work, they didn't talk as much as earlier. However, it was still oddly nice. Rin hadn't ever gone on a job with Mira, so he wasn't used to her style of working. Yet, she was methodical and focused, starting with a plan and moving forward. She had told Rin they'd first get a better idea of the layout of the island, trying to find higher ground to see what it was like. That was why they were hiking up hills as they found them, moving towards a more central location. She said if that didn't work, they'd start drawing out a map of the place, and search in a routine fashion until they had found Natsu. It seemed like a far better plan than what Rin would have done, so he agreed with little argument. Usually, Rin would just wander around until he got lucky, so having a plan probably helped more than he was willing to admit.
"There's something up this way, Rin." Mira waved him over, and Rin walked up the hill with a frown. In front of them, there was what looked like a worn-down temple. A crescent moon seemed to decorate the arch over the entrance, which both of them quickly used to walk inside. "Let's try and find a way up. This is probably our best bet to get a view of the island." She looked around, pointing towards the left side of the temple. "You look for a path that way, and I'll go this way. We'll meet either at the top of the temple, or back here if we don't find a way up. Okay?" He nodded, and she smiled, walking off. "Good luck Rin! Give a shout if you find him."
Walking off in his own direction, Rin frowned. Moss was growing on the walls, and the place seemed to be falling down. However, it still functioned and seemed stable enough to walk through. The halls seemed to slope downwards, in the opposite direction he wanted to go, but he kept exploring in the hopes of finding some stairs or something. Eventually, the stone-brick walls seemed to smooth out, becoming the smooth walls of a cave of some kind. Rin kept walking, frowning in confusion. Yet, the temple was connected to this cave. "This place is awesome…" He grinned at the sight, taking in the way someone had managed to come up with the idea to hide a cave using an entire temple. Either that, or maybe the temple was supposed to be a grand entrance for the cave. Whatever the case was, it was cool and he found himself excited to see what kind of treasures were hidden away at the end. Wasn't that common, after all? People hid treasures and stuff to worship gods in places like this.
At the end, however, Rin blinked in surprise. It wasn't a treasure room at all. Instead, a massive block of ice stood, being bathed in a purple light. Inside was a monstrous figure, reminding him of the demon he'd seen in Zeref's memories. He was half-tempted to try and see if Zeref recognized this one, before stopping and realizing he would probably be getting too close to the knowledge Zeref wanted to keep from Rin. If it meant avoiding cursing himself directly, he'd be more than willing to put his curiosity aside and figure out the answers on his own.
Seeing a path to walk down closer, Rin continued on. The beast was still frozen, but as he got lower down, he saw puddles of water on the ground around it. The ice was melting, which was to be expected, but it seemed to be melting far slower than Rin expected. With a grin, he walked over, thinking he could probably melt the ice and destroy the demon in one go if he wanted to. However, as he walked into the odd stream of light bathing the demon, something shifted inside of him. Don't! Stay— Zeref's warning came a moment to late, and Rin's body suddenly felt like it was on fire. He gasped, his legs giving out as he hunched over on the ground. His head hurt, and for a moment, he was almost certain he had blacked out. Then, he saw something odd. A person was standing in front of him, a teenager with dark black hair and a robe covered with a white sash stared into his eyes. "Rin…please hurry. Tenrou Island…stop me." Those were his first and last words, the only time Rin had directly heard his voice out loud. Yet, the image vanished just as quickly as it arrived. As it vanished, the nothingness in his head went with it, making Rin suck in a sharp breath.
Memories flashed before his eyes, real ones that belonged to him for a change. He saw the monastery where he grew up, with Yukio and Father Fujimoto. He remembered his first attempts at getting a job, working hard to try and make his old man proud. Yet, he'd always screw it up and get in fights with people who called him a demon's child. Tears streamed down his cheeks at the memories, making him inhale a shaky breath. He…he remembered his home. That gate, the Gehenna Gate…it brought him here, but where was here? Looking around, Rin was suddenly becoming more certain of one thing. He wasn't Rin Huldra, the Rin that lived in this world. That meant…it meant that Yukio was alive. He wasn't alone, not like he had thought. Somewhere, in another world, Yukio would be looking for him.
Grinning, Rin rose to his feet, determined to find Mira and tell her about what happened. Yet, that was when he turned and saw a face he'd almost forgotten about over the last few years. He'd hoped to never see it again in fact, and this time, he had a sinking feeling in his stomach. On the ground to his side, he saw the hints of Kurikara, sheathed yet wretched out from the pocket dimension Rin no longer had. It was resting at the feet of a smiling black eyed Grim, who crouched down to grab the sword with ease, looking triumphant as he claimed his prize.
It had been years of waiting, yet the yellow-eyed Grim had grown accustomed to patience. He'd listened to the reports of the black-eyed Grims, scouring the world for news of time magic and its variants. Thus far, few options seemed to hold the same potential as the lacrima, but that was not stopping them in the slightest. So, when he'd heard reports of the use of arc of time magic on some cursed island, he had not hesitated to send them to attack. It hadn't even occurred to him that he might be obtaining more than one prize at once by doing so.
He watched over them, seeing the black-eyed Grim facing off against Rin Huldra. The boy had foolishly abandoned his strongest weapon, which was now in their grasp. Yet, he swiftly contacted his underling, realizing this Grim had not heard the change in orders yet. "Rin is to be taken alive. Master wishes to obtain his magic."
In response, the black-eyed Grim bowed his head, almost reverently as he stood in the cave. This Grim had far too many manners for his liking, really. Though, he wasn't going to complain when he followed orders without sass like some of the others. Maybe once he'd gotten what he needed, he'd try and educate this Grim on how to talk back properly. Otherwise, it would just be no fun ordering him around like the puppet he was.
Rin was pale, swallowing as he drew upon what power he could without the sword. Zeref was gone…which meant he had nothing but his flames now. He had no gravity magic, and definitely no death magic without the guy. "Uh…hey. Long time no see, Grim." Rin laughed nervously, stepping backwards. "So…I'm not really here to fight. Would you have any objection to me, uh, leaving early or something?" He had to get out and start making a plan to get back to Yukio, after all.
"Master wishes to have your magic." Grim lifted his head, stepping forward. "He will have what he desires."
Grim vanished with that, and Rin moved quickly. They were in a cave, so it might as well be the same as outside at night. Heck, it probably was still night given how dark it was when he came into this place. Rin focused on keeping his body surrounded in flames, eventually focusing on the emerging sight of Grim near the demon. He sent a small burst of blue flames towards Grim, who dispersed and then quickly reformed. Staring down at Rin blandly, Grim shrugged, vanishing again. This time, Rin felt him appear from his own shadow. "Master will have his reward."
This Grim was creepy, talking only about his master. "Do you talk about anything else? Come on, whoever this master is can't be worth all of this." Rin's flames grew hotter, forcing the shadow to vanish again as he stepped forward, beyond his reach.
Glancing down at the sword in his hand, Grim frowned. "Our information is lacking. Flames can grow in intensity without the use of the sword. They can be controlled and attack a specified point, with enough focus. I shall collect more data, so Master can be warned when you are brought before him."
This guy was crazy. Rin shot forth a blast of flames, kinda inspired by Natsu's roar, but it still did nothing beyond scattering the shadow which quickly reformed. Tilting his head, Grim seemed to glance around. "Perhaps a change in tactics would be wise." Rin thought he was trying to talk about his own fighting style, which made him snort. However, that was when Grim vanished again. Rin didn't see where he went afterwords, because that was when something hard slammed into his head. The cave faded from sight, and everything went dark as he collapsed. "Master will be pleased. Target Rin Huldra has been captured, and is being brought…" The words were fading from his ears, and eventually, he found himself absorbed back into that terrifying nothingness once more. All he could think was that he wanted Yukio here, to have his smarter brother by his side who actually might be able to think of a way out of this instead. Then again, at least with him not here, he was safe and doing well. For that, Rin would gladly be captured by every Grim in existence, just to keep Yukio from facing a reality where he might be in danger too.
Rin and Zeref are separate and now, Grim has taken Rin! I know there were a lot of possibilities for what could happen on Galuna island, but I didn't want to deviate too far away from the main plot that's been going on since the start of this story. Either way, since Moon Drip can unravel any spell, I figured it'd be enough to unravel the spell binding Zeref to Rin as well. I do hope you enjoyed! Feel free to review and tell me what you think!