Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Fairy Tail or Blue Exorcist
Warning: The beginning of this chapter does contain some descriptions of torture (not too graphic in my opinion, but still detailed enough). If that makes you uncomfortable, skip ahead and start reading after the line break.
Master returned, though Rin didn't know how long it had been. He was hungry, tired, and his back was hurting from sleeping on the ground. At least it was warm…wherever he was. Without windows in the odd room, he couldn't even see that much. All he could see was the same dirt-colored rock-like walls, and sit in silence with nothing but his thoughts. That had been his entire life here thus far. It was making him go crazy.
When Master had remained missing for a while, Rin had decided to try and leave. It seemed simple enough, with the door right in front of him. So, walking towards it confidently, he'd been prepared to just sneak away with Master gone. Yet, he'd hit a wall, an invisible wall if he was being specific. There was something in that hole that should have been filled with a door that wasn't…physical. Likely, it mimicked whatever barrier Master had around himself, and would not let Rin pass. He glared at it, as if his eyes alone could burn a hole through it and let him pass. After all, he wasn't just going to give up because of a challenge. So, he'd started trying to get creative. He'd ram his shoulder into the thing, burn up as much of his flames as he could use without the sword, and eventually, he'd settled with trying to throw small parts of the wall that was falling apart at it. Those rocks did nothing and just passed through, much to Rin's irritation. Growling at the sight, he'd turned around behind him. From that point on, he'd decided maybe he'd make an exit of his own. It wasn't like the building was in good shape, after all.
That was how he'd been spending his time, and he was starting to realize it wasn't as productive as he'd hoped it would be. He didn't have tools, so he was pretty much clawing at the walls with his hands. Some spots would actually break apart, but it was still sturdy enough to need a shovel or something strong to bash against it. Rin had tried to get creative, with his back turned towards the wall again. He'd realized he couldn't blindly pick away at the wall, so he thought maybe the cuffs would work. He'd slammed them into the surface, only to realize he bashed his arm against the rock along with his hands. That move had definitely left a bruise for a while, though his healing let it fade away before the day was done with. Not keen on breaking an arm in the process of getting out, Rin had taken a break and was staring up at the ceiling, trying to think of another plan of escape.
That was what he was doing when the door opened, revealing Master returning once more. He brought a bag with him, and it seemed to clang loudly as he dropped it on the floor when he walked in. Scowling at the sight of him passing through without issue, Rin sat up and crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, it took you long enough. I could have been long gone by the time you got back!"
"Hardly." Master smiled at him, putting rubber gloves on with a smile. What were the gloves for anyway? "I've used some magic I learned ages ago to seal off this building. It creates an impenetrable shield, at the cost of rendering the user unable to escape as well. Perfect for defense, if no attacks are being directed. Or, in this case…perfect for keeping you inside, until I am nearby to watch you."
Rin glared at the man, who was now putting on a face mask as well. Was he planning on using some kind of poison gas or something? Yet, he didn't say a word, continuing to put on more safety equipment. If he'd been back home, he'd almost say this guy was a scientist preparing for some dangerous chemistry experiment or something. He had gloves, a mask, glasses…Rin swallowed, uncertain of what to think of it. "Whatever. I could get out, if I really wanted to. I just wanted to see if you really were that stupid, wanting to get a magic that sucks like this."
"Such rudeness. Worry not, that will be fading away soon." Rin could see a slight crease by the man's eyes, making him wonder if he was smiling under that mask. Yet, he didn't even get to look closely. That was when Master reached for his bag, pulling out a small dagger first. "I'm correct to assume you have not yet changed your mind, Rin?" Seeing the weapon only made him glare harder. This guy really was willing to torture for the answers he wanted. Rin wouldn't let him get them.
"Do your worst. I'm never telling you anything!"
The man chuckled, turning towards Rin. "As you wish, Rin. For now, I will do as you ask then." Blinking, Rin leaned away as he came forward with the dagger. It slashed down towards him, but luckily this room at least gave him space to move around. However, that was when Rin was thrown back again, with an invisible pressure pinning him to the ground. Flames burst out from his body, trying to keep himself safe. However, that did not stop Master. Instead of getting close and stabbing him, the knife was thrown at him. Rin gasped as it stabbed through his arm. The flames around him grew in response to his pain, trying harder to defend him.
"Such resistance, to something you yourself requested. You need to figure out what you want, Rin."
"Shut the hell up, you bastard! I'll kill you for this!"
"As if you could. The sight of death sickens you, does it not? I think that is a sign of someone too weak of heart to actually follow through on such threats." Rin struggled, kicking out his legs in an attempt to get up. Yet, the pressure did not release and he had no magic. "Now…something with range then? It seems as if those flames aren't going away any time soon, after all."
The man reached back into his bag, and this time, Rin felt cold at the sight of what he grabbed. A spear was in his grasp, unlike any he'd seen before. The handle and the blade were both made out of some kind of dark rock-like material. "I picked this one especially for you, Rin. I know how much you love to play with fire, so of course I couldn't use an average spear for our little game here." Game? This was a game to him? Rin snarled in response, watching him approach as close as he dared. As the spear plunged into his flames, Rin realized that he wasn't lying at all. They did nothing to the rock it was made of, and the ragged craftsmanship of a rock rather than metal almost made the cut worse, in a way. It wasn't clean, and it left a jagged line slashing through his hand. "Oh, it seems as if I missed. I was trying to stab your arm…but I haven't used a spear in ages, so it is understandable. Do you want to test how poor my aim has gotten, little Rin? It'd be a shame if I accidentally pierced your heart, after all."
Rin snarled at him, no longer using words. His cut from the spear was starting to scab over, gradually healing due to his demonic powers. Yet, that didn't mean he couldn't be harmed still. The spear pulled back, going for another attack. This time, it stabbed through his leg, making Rin gasp. Stabbing was much worse than a cut, something he could tell from the dagger still lodged in his arm. "I guess that means you want to take the risk, little Rin! Now, be a good boy and stay still…and if you so desire a safety word for our game, then we'll put that in place too!" The man laughed, pulling back and stabbing blindly this time. It hit Rin's leg again, just barely below the last stab on his thigh. It was just barely stopped from stabbing all the way through by the bone in his leg, but the pain made him scream. "Oh, now that wouldn't work at all, Rin. The safety word is 'you win'." He paused, frowning. "Well, I suppose that is two words, but it functions well enough! Give up, and it stops, or stay quiet and we keep playing. I do so love these games, Rin. I hope you do too!"
With that, Master started quieting down, his actions no longer delayed so he could give speeches about his plans. Rin's world began to haze over, pain filling his existence. He could see the blue flames around him flickering out gradually, weakening alongside of him. The entire time, Master was laughing, as if it was the greatest comedy he'd ever seen. Rin hated him more than ever at that moment, and honestly, he couldn't decide if he was glad or not that he no longer had magic. Without it, he couldn't have shown this man how to use Zeref's power even if he wanted to, after all. Yet, with it, he could have been free. Dazed, Rin felt his struggles weaken, until eventually he was just screaming with each attack, wishing for someone, or something, to make it stop.
The job on Galuna Island had actually been finished not long after Mira and Rin had arrived. Mira had found her guild mates interrupting the ceremony up top, and before long, the entire group trying to awaken some old demon had been taken care of. Erza showed the demons on the island the truth of the moon, but one mystery remained unsolved. "Are you sure you haven't seen Rin anywhere?" Mira was sitting with her guild mates as the demons threw a celebration for them all, with the curse broken.
Eating a mouthful of some kind of meat, Natsu looked up and blinked. "Rin?" He swallowed, setting his food down for a moment. "Now that I think about it, I thought I smelled him in that cave place. But he wasn't anywhere near there, and there wasn't a trail to follow either." He shrugged, taking another bite. "I figured I was just getting it confused with something else down there, since all those weirdos kept checking on the status of the demon there. I mean, it's not like someone can be in one place like that and leave without a trail…and there wasn't any sign of him in the cave either."
"Natsu does have a point. We went back and checked when you said he came with you." Gray focused on her, frowning as he glanced over at the dancing demons. "He's not on this island, Mira. Wherever the kid went, he clearly didn't want to be followed."
Thinking about the rules around Rin's absence from the guild, Mira looked down at the table. "You know someone's been after Rin since he joined the guild, right?"
Erza nodded, folding her arms over her chest. "Indeed. That is why his protection was our main focus at all times. Fairy Tail protects our comrades, regardless of the risks to ourselves."
"Is that why Rin hardly ever leaves on jobs? I thought he was kinda like Nab and just didn't like wizard work." The newest member amongst them, Lucy, frowned at her.
Nodding, Mira gazed at them, hardening her expression. "Rin wasn't afraid of this person after him. To be honest, I have no idea how anyone could've even captured him, not after what he was telling me about his magic the other day."
"Huh? Oh, you're talking about the weird-smelling stuff he gets around him, aren't you!" Mira stared at Natsu, who swallowed again. "Yeah, he'd get that on fishing trips and stuff with Happy and me. He'd walk off, and come back with an entirely different scent, like he'd just rolled around in dead leaves or something. I figured it was his thing, kinda like Gray's stripping." He said that with a look at the ice-wizard, who indeed had lost his shirt during the conversation.
"When did that happen?" Gray quickly began searching for his lost clothes, but Mira was still focused on Rin.
"It wouldn't surprise me if that was it. Rin came to me because he'd been having trouble with his magic lately. He thought I'd be able to help because of how similar our magics were." Mira stared at the table, furrowing her brow. She'd wanted to help, when Rin came to her. For quite a while now, she'd been feeling guilty about what she said to him back then. How could she blame Rin for Lisanna anyway? Maybe Rin was reckless, but that didn't mean Elfman was copying him in any way. In the end, it could have been a lot worse than it was on that job. When he came to her for help, even after what she'd said, she'd been shocked. Mira wanted to do everything she could to make it up to him, but it was getting too complicated for her own skills. She needed to research more, and figure out if Spriggan was actually dangerous to Rin or not. Yet, this was getting in the way again. Where was Rin?
"Then perhaps this is an extension of his dilemma?" Erza nodded, as if assuring herself that this was the case. "Rin has often attempted to exceed his own abilities in the past. It would not surprise me if a spell went awry and happened to send him elsewhere. Likely, we will see him again when we return." Mira nodded, only hoping Erza was right. Yet, she had a feeling that would not be the case.
The ride back on the pirate ship only continued to leave Mira feeling worried. They'd searched the island one more time, upon Mira's request, but there was still no sign of Rin. At that point, Natsu wasn't even able to smell his presence on the island, only confirming that he was no longer there. So, they'd returned back. Walking into the guild, Mira had begun scanning the place for Rin's familiar face, but she saw nothing. Erza was already dragging Lucy and Natsu to the guild master to be punished, with Gray staring at Mira with a frown. "Are you gonna be okay? It doesn't look like he's here."
She nodded, forcing a smile on her face. That was something she'd grown used to doing, ever since Lisanna was gone. Her sister used to love it when she'd smile, so she wanted to share it with others more too, thinking Lisanna would be happy to see her like this. "Don't worry about it. I'm certain you're right. Rin's probably just wandering around on his own right now, angry because he messed up and refusing to admit it." Gray nodded, patting her back before following after Erza who was glaring at him for trying to get out of his punishment. Yet, once he was out of sight, her smile faded and Mira was staring at the guild hall, feeling oddly empty with its now missing member.
Walking inside, she glanced up and saw Laxus sitting on the second floor like usual. Rather than going to the bar and heading right back to work, she headed for the stairs, wanting to find out if he'd heard anything. Since Rin was living with Laxus, the lightning mage was her best bet after all. She hadn't seen them hanging out at all beyond the living arrangement Makarov had given Rin, but it didn't mean Laxus wouldn't see Rin if he came home.
The blond was sitting at a table, with his team surrounding him like usual. Few people would approach Laxus, unless they were asking for a fight these days. He was constantly angry about something, but that didn't mean Mira wasn't willing to try and talk to him to hear about Rin. "Hello, Laxus."
The man looked up, glancing over at her and raising an eyebrow. "Mira? Well, well, well. Look who's finally coming back up here for a change. Finally getting tired of being eye candy for the guild?"
Bickslow seemed to chuckle at his joke, while Evergreen only smiled and crossed her arms over her chest. Freed ignored it, but Mira didn't care about them. "Actually, I came up here to talk to you, if you don't mind." Laxus raised his eyebrows at her, leaning back in his seat. "Master still has Rin living with you while Gildarts is on the hundred year quest, right?"
"Yeah, he's still got that runt living with me. What of it?"
"Have you seen him around lately?"
Snorting, Laxus shook his head. "I thought he left with you after having that little panic attack about Natsu. Did you guys really just abandon him on that island?" Mira hung her head, closing her hands into fists as Laxus laughed in amusement. "That's just great! I wish I was there to see the look on that weakling's face right now. Maybe this'll teach him to toughen up for a change."
"You know that Rin is being targeted, Laxus! You should understand that it isn't safe for—"
"If he can't handle being on his own, then he doesn't deserve to be in this guild, Mira. Let him figure out how to solve his own problems, and maybe then the old man will finally stop asking me to do ridiculous things like this." Laxus scowled, shaking his head. "At least now, I can finally take a job for a change since I'm not being forced to play babysitter to that weakling. Really, this is probably one of the best things that could have happened for the guild. All that's left is for you to finally man up and stop moping around without Lisan—"
"Laxus, I think that may be going too far." Freed interrupted, glancing over at Mira. "As far as members go, Mirajane is hardly one of the ones I'd classify as weak, if she were to truly make an effort at least."
"Whatever." Laxus waved him off, focusing on his drink again. "If that's all you wanted Mira, then head back on downstairs to your bar job. I don't want to waste any more time dealing with pointless questions about a member we don't need around anyway."
Mira's face felt warm as her hands remained clenched tightly into fists by her side. Spinning around, she kept scowling as she returned downstairs, thinking about what this meant. Rin never made it back to Magnolia at all. He had gone missing on Galuna Island…and had vanished completely in the time it took Mira to walk to the top of the temple and back. That meant someone after him could use a variation of teleportation, but where would they take Rin? She didn't know enough, and now, she was regretting telling him to hold off on sharing who was targeting him. If she had known that, she might at least know who to research to find former habits. With how cautious Makarov was about the situation, it was likely an infamous wizard, after all.
Rather than walking behind the bar to start working, Mira approached Makarov. He seemed to have finished his business with Natsu and his team, which meant she had her chance to talk to him about the situation. "Master." He glanced up, raising his eyebrows at her tone. Mira clasped her hands together in front of her legs, standing straight and meeting his gaze. "On our trip to Galuna Island to retrieve Natsu…something happened. I'm not certain what it was, but Rin has gone missing. I think that the wizard targeting him has found him, Master."
Makarov frowned, letting out a sigh and crossing his arms over his chest. He was sitting on a bar stool, overseeing the guild with his eyes narrowing slightly. "I thought that might be the case. After speaking with Natsu and the others, I realized that he was not in the guild." He glanced towards Mira, keeping his voice quiet. "You searched the island, correct? And you are certain he was not simply lost in the area?"
"I'm certain, Master. Rin and I had agreed on a place to meet, if we did get separated for too long." She glanced over, spotting the pink haired dragon slayer starting a fight with Gray like usual. "If that wasn't enough, Natsu couldn't even smell his scent anymore. There was only one place with his scent lingering at all, and no path leaving from there."
Makarov nodded, pausing for a moment before hopping off of his seat. "I see." He began walking towards the back of the bar, heading into the office room that was kept for his use. Lately, Mira had been in there a lot as well, helping him with paperwork around the guild hall. She followed him, watching him take a seat and fold his hands on the table. "Take a seat, Mira. I have a feeling this is not going to be so easy to fix, if Rin truly is captured by who I fear to be his enemy." Mira met his gaze, nodding solemnly. Makarov gave her a weak smile, looking tired but reaching towards her hand that rested on the table. "Worry not, Mira. Rin is our family, and Fairy Tail does not take it lightly when one of our children is harmed. We will bring him back…but it could take some time."
Thinking about Rin and his cheerful attitude, despite his situation, Mira pulled her hand back. He was always smiling, even when he was angry or irritated about something in his life. Rin didn't hold grudges against people for mistakes, and he was willing to be friends with anyone who was willing to talk to him. Sure, he could be aggressive, but that likely stemmed from the demonic magic he used. It was a part of him, and he never took things too far, even if it looked like he couldn't control himself sometimes. "We will. Now, start telling me what we're dealing with, because I'm not going to let you work alone on this. Rin is my family too…and I'm not going to lose someone else again."
For those of you who skipped ahead, the first part of the chapter was just covering what was happening to Rin while he was being held by Grim's master. Basically, Grim is trying to force answers out of him, to put it lightly. For everyone else, I do hope you enjoyed! Feel free to review and tell me what you think!