Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Fairy Tail or Blue Exorcist

Rin hurt. That was what he knew, when he started to wake up. Was Master back already? He groaned, rolling over and burying his head into the pillow. He needed more energy, to keep his flames out, or else—wait, pillow? Rin opened his eyes blearily, nuzzling his head into the soft fabric by his cheek. Sure enough, he was definitely not in that room from before. Groggily, he thought back. Something…something had happened. He remembered Master saying he was going to die soon, if he didn't give him answers. Rin remembered that, then a gunshot…then pain. Agonizing pain, as if he'd lost an essential piece of himself. It was in a place he'd never expected too, yet still in agony. He'd reacted violently, and then he'd seen…someone. Someone other than Grim or Master.

Voices were around him as Rin tried to recall more. "—gone. I'm surprised he's even still healing like he used to."

"So…the healing wasn't magic in the first place?"

Gildarts…and that old lady from before. What was her name? He remembered it being weird. Still, she responded while he was slowly waking up. "Now that I can assess him without that magic muddling my findings, I can say for certain it isn't." There was a sigh. Porlyusica, that was her name. Along with that, another flash came. He remembered Master dying…from that death magic he'd used before. That stranger had been Zeref, coming to rescue him. He'd felt so relieved…and so exhausted. He hadn't been able to fight any longer, realizing someone was finally bringing an end to that hell.

"That magic came from one of the worst wizards in history, Porlyusica. Why the hell didn't you realize that?"

"Because it wasn't black magic, idiot." The grumpy old lady hadn't changed in the slightest. Rin would have smiled, if he'd been more aware of himself. Yet, he still ached…especially his tail. It sent shockwaves through his butt and up his spine every time he so much as shifted it to the side. Rin was doing his best to keep it motionless behind him as a result. "Just because he's known for that kind of thing doesn't mean he can't use other spells. What he did to Rin…there was too much going on in his body to feel all of what had happened. Too many demon particles, too much ethernano, too much wrong with his mind…all of it interferes with the delicate process of seeing exactly what is going on in the body. It's like trying to have a conversation with someone in the middle of your rowdy guild hall; you can hear most of what the person next to you is saying, but it gets drowned out in the crowd too."

Gildarts sighed, and Rin heard a creaking sound in the room. Was he walking around? Sitting on something? Rin didn't know, and he was kinda feeling nice, with his eyes closed and just laying down in silence. "Sorry. It's just…still a shock. Mira says the kid was hearing his voice in his mind too. And what he said before he left…if that kid isn't Rin, who the hell could he be?"

Zeref said he…wasn't Rin? Then, he frowned. Zeref had always called him by his real name, not by Rin Huldra like he'd thought for so long. Zeref had known the truth…but how? Rin tried opening his eyes, so he could ask. Yet, he failed yet again. "Well, I'd hardly say kid is the right thing to call him either. Now that I've got a better look at him, I can tell you he isn't like any sort of creature I've encountered before. If I had to give 'em a label, I'd call him a demon. Yet, the power in him isn't quite the same."

"'m not…demon." Rin managed to mumble, rolling over finally with a groan. He opened his eyes, wincing from the brightness of the room. "Oww! Why the hell is it so bright in here?"

He felt someone smack him, making Rin glare at the culprit. However, an angry physician was there, ready to smack him again for the look ."Enough complaining and stop moving around! You'll send yourself to an early grave if you keep that up." He hadn't complained much at all though! He frowned, slowly blinking his eyes open more.

"Rin." Gildarts stood up, sitting on a stool in the room. "It's good to see you up again. I hate to ask this so soon…but do you remember what happened?"

Rin swallowed. He remembered…stabbing. Shooting. Slashing. A lot of blood and pain…bathed in fire the entire time, leaving him exhausted and wishing for an end. He didn't want to remember that. He wanted to remember…home. That was where he wanted to be. Away from all of this, from this world that kept hurting him and taking more away from him than he had to give. "He…he did all of that…just for…" He broke off, feeling his eyes grow warm. Realizing what was happening, he scowled and stared up at the ceiling, refusing to cry. He would not cry in front of them, no matter what.

"Hey, calm down kid!" Gildarts leaned forward, patting his shoulder. "I didn't mean to ask for all the details. Just…I wanted to find out if anything concerning happened. Porlyusica says you aren't affected by that nasty shadow magic, which is one upside, but that doesn't mean there aren't other things to search for."

"I'd leave him alone, Gildarts. He's hardly in any shape to be interrogated right now." Porlyusica narrowed her eyes at the man, who leaned back and slowly nodded. Yet, Rin was thinking about his words. A lot had happened…and Gildarts had always been the one he'd talked to about his problems. Gildarts brought him to the guild and took care of him, when he'd had nothing. The man was kind…and he deserved more than Rin's stupid stubborn attitude. He was being an idiot…and he wasn't Master, the guy who'd abuse everything Rin said and turn it against him in some way.

Swallowing, Rin looked away from them. "Grim…found me. After…I got caught up in some other spell." He didn't want to explain about Zeref, not right now. He needed to protect Zeref, especially after that wizard saved him. "He brought me to some building. His master was there…I never even learned the guy's name. But…I couldn't do anything. He killed Grim like it was nothing….and then demanded that I tell him about…" He trailed off, shaking his head. "I refused. I wasn't giving in, not for anything…but he wanted to know so badly. He wanted answers…and I'm pretty sure I wasn't exactly focused most of the time after that." Rin tried to give a laugh, to make it sound like it was a joke. However, as he turned towards them, rubbing the back of his head, he noticed the way Gildarts was scowling, his brows drawn together as he gripped the edge of the table in front of him tightly in both hands. Porlyusica was avoiding meeting his gaze, staring at the ground with her arms crossed over her chest, her eyes closed with her mouth drawn into a tight line.

Rin's weak laugh died quickly, and he swallowed. "Um…yeah, so after…a while, some guy came. He…stopped Grim's master, and that's when I really blacked out. I had been fighting so long…I really couldn't remember the last time I'd not been on fire."

He was met with silence. Glancing around, he noticed that at some point during his speech, Mira had walked in. She was staring at him, her blue eyes wide after hearing what he'd just said. Just noticing her himself, Gildarts nodded towards her and ran a hand through his hair. "Hey, Mira. You're just on time. Rin just woke up."

She was still staring at him however, with her hands clenched into fists at her sides. Rin gave her a weak smile, trying to at least change the scary expression on her face. She was glaring at him, and there were tears on her cheeks…Rin had no idea what to do. Was she mad? Sad? He hadn't seen her in so long and he still didn't know what she wanted. "Come on, let's give them some space. You and I have some discussing to do, about all of this." Porlyusica grabbed Gildarts, dragging him out of her house. She paused, glancing back at Mira before she left. "And as for you, it is your job to make sure he doesn't move an inch away from that bed. That reckless boy will be trying to get up long before he should, and if he knows what's good for him, he'll stay put."

Mira didn't even get the chance to reply before the door slammed shut behind the physician, leaving Mira alone with Rin. He looked around, uncertain of what to say in the silence. Eventually, he returned his gaze to her, seeing her walk closer, still glaring at him. Blinking, Rin scooted back in his bed, but Mira was far faster on her feet. He felt her slap him across the cheek, making him flinch as the stinging in his cheek briefly made him forget about some of his other injuries, just for a moment. "How dare you? Why didn't you tell me anything about him?"

Blinking, Rin frowned. "About…Grim? Well, you said you were waiting until Master—"

"Not about that." Mira looked up at him, tears in her eyes. "Do you have any idea…who Zeref is, Rin?"

Oh. Rin looked away, fidgeting with his hands. "Umm…I dunno what you heard, but there's kinda a mix up, I think. Not that…er, well, what I'm trying to say—"

"Zeref told us, Rin. Erza, Gildarts, and I…we met him on Tenrou Island." The place didn't sound familiar, but Rin figured that was where Grim's master had kept him. "I didn't have any doubts about who he was. The way he spoke…how he acted…it all matched up with Spriggan. So, when he told us he was the one that had been essentially possessing you—and don't say he wasn't Rin, because that's definitely what it is when someone uses magic to control you in any way—" Rin closed his mouth, dropping his head. "I believed him. So, all I want to know…is why you would even think protecting a man like Zeref was a good idea?"

Who exactly was Zeref then? Rin frowned, staring at his hands. Mira sounded mad, and that likely meant others were too. Exactly how much did Zeref share? "He…he didn't seem like a bad guy. Kinda weird, but not bad." Mira glared at him, making Rin swallow. "Not that that's an excuse!" He quickly waved his hands, before wincing and realizing it was a mistake. He'd shifted his weight, brushing his leg against his tail and sending a spike of pain up his back again. "Er…it's like…it's like I was him, you know?" He stared at the bed, frowning. "I can't explain it right…but I had his memories, Mira. I knew what he felt when he was growing up, when…stuff happened in his life. Maybe it wasn't all the details, but it was enough for me to think he deserved a break. That he deserved to have someone on his side."

"He's killed more people than we even know, Rin. Zeref is responsible for making demons, most of which are still out there waiting for a wizard strong enough to actually defeat them. He's made black magic spells that almost every dark wizard alive wants to find and use…essentially, Zeref is the darkest wizard we've ever known."

Mira had her hands folded in her lap. She had pulled a chair over to sit next to Rin, and the half-demon closed his eyes. "But…he didn't want—"

"He flat out told us that everything he did was for his own gain, without concern for others. Rin…Zeref said he's the reason you've been suffering this entire time, the reason you lost your family, and your home. I don't understand how or why…but I don't doubt that he had a hand in causing all of this to happen to you."

That made Rin stiffen. Mira…thought it referred to that village still. None of them realized anything remotely close to the truth. How long had it been though, since he'd thought about home? He'd been in that room for so long…at least, it felt that way. Rin shuddered, closing his eyes. This time, he didn't notice the tears soon enough to stop him. However, when one dropped onto his leg, he scowled, angrily wiping his cheeks and sniffling. "That…that wasn't his fault." The Gehenna Gate wasn't Zeref's making. That much Rin was certain of.

"Then why would he say it was?"

"Because he's an idiot who has no idea what he's talking about!"

"Rin, Zeref is over four hundred years old!" Mira glared at him, reaching forward and grabbing his face. He blinked, feeling his cheeks grow warm as she clasped his face between both hands, forcing him to meet her eyes. "I know you want to think of him as your friend, but please…please, just once, listen to my advice too. I might not always have been the kindest voice of reason, Rin, but I do care. Zeref…Zeref has hurt you in the past, and he still wants to hurt you more. You need to forget about him…and accept that he isn't going to be the friend you thought he was."

Meeting her gaze, Rin felt his heart pounding. Mira didn't realize a thing…she didn't know what he'd been through. "Zeref saved me."

"We would have done the same, Rin. Why do you think we were even on that island?" She sighed, letting him go and pulling back. Rin leaned back into the bed, staring at her and noticing that she had dark circles under her eyes. "I was so scared, when we found you. Zeref had your sword out, and he was refusing to give you back. He said he needed you…and with his magic, we couldn't even get close to him. He acted like he didn't care, Rin. He assumed your fire would protect you, saying it didn't react well to magic…but that can't be the case. You've been using that fire magic of yours since you joined the guild, and none of us here noticed anything odd about it."

Looking away, Rin swallowed. He could tell she was going to keep going, but every word she said was beating away at his chest. "Stop." For years, he'd kept this from them because of Gildarts' advice. Yet, what kind of a friend was he, living a lie like this? He'd realized how alone he was, trapped in that house. He'd been almost certain that Fairy Tail was sick of him at some point in time…that while he was a member and friends with them, they'd eventually assume he was dead and move on. Right now, Rin needed people who'd accept him for who he was. He needed people…like Gildarts and Zeref. Both of them knew the truth, and neither of them ran away.

Mira was quiet, and Rin slowly closed his hands into fists. "Zeref…was right about my fire. Or at least, he probably was." He didn't know enough about how demonic powers would work against magic. It wasn't like he was an expert in either subject, after all. Any knowledge on what he was remained in a world beyond his reach, and knowledge on magic would do him little good without the former. "Mira…exactly what kind of magic did you think I used?"

"Well, the fire magic, obviously. Plus, you had Gravity magic, a little bit of skill with requip, and that single takeover you constantly rely on." She smiled, glancing down at the bed. "In fact, it looks like you still have fun with that one now. Do you ever get rid of the tail, Rin?"

He knew she was trying to get him to laugh, making a joke like that. Yet, Rin stared at his tail, reaching towards it hesitantly. It still hurt like hell, and he could see that even his tail had bandages on it for his recovery. "I can't." Mira blinked, but Rin wasn't facing her to see her reaction. "A lot of that stuff…I mean, it was magic, but the only reason I could use it at all was because Zeref was there. He…did something, that kinda had some weird effects—"

"Oh." She blinked, before smiling happily. Looking towards her, Rin frowned. He just couldn't figure out how to get the words out right. "Well, it isn't that bad, stuck in a transformation like that. Plus, it looked like you still had plenty of magic before…your fire magic was running strong when we found you. Actually, it was why we could find you. Those flames are rather bright, after all."

"It's not transformation magic either." Rin didn't know how many kinds of magic there were, but he saw Mira frowning at him. "Mira…I'm not exactly…a wizard." He didn't know what to say, though. How would she react, knowing the truth? He suddenly felt sick, wishing he hadn't said anything. Right now, he couldn't push his friends away. He was being an idiot again, wasn't he? Yet, Mira was staring at him with a frown, her brows drawn together as she waited for him to explain further. "It…those flames, I sorta…inherited them. From my father." He swallowed, looking towards her. "He was…a demon. So, that kinda makes me one too, I guess."

He didn't want to admit it out loud. He'd always denied it, every time it got mentioned before. That was the insult he'd hated more than any other. Strangers would call him a demon's child for starting fights. Other kids would avoid him after hearing their parents give Rin that label. He'd be the outcast…and that'd lead to more people picking on him and making him angry. It was their fault he got in fights. Yet, he should have known better than to be so petty about a few names.

Mira watched him, and Rin continued playing with the blankets covering him. Most of his body was bandaged, and what skin he could see had fading marks from the torture he'd been put through. He felt Mira reach over, grabbing his hand gently and forcing it to remain still for a moment. "It's okay, Rin." He looked up, blinking at her. "You didn't choose how you were born, and I've always been able to tell you had a kind heart. I understand being afraid to tell others the truth about things like this, but you don't have to feel guilty for being who you are."

He didn't know what to say. Mira's blue eyes were staring at him, welcoming him just as she did to everyone else when they returned to the guild. Why her? She'd always hated him, he'd been certain of it. Yet, right now, he felt like she knew him better than any other guild member. Her smile faded slightly, and she stared at their clasped hands instead when he didn't reply. "I get not being comfortable talking about it a lot, Rin. I really do. Because…I was the same way, growing up. It takes a lot to understand how to control a takeover magic, and when it involves demons on top of it…people aren't usually that fond of you."

Mira wasn't meeting his gaze, and her usual smile had faded away. "My siblings stayed by my side, of course, but everyone else…they tried to force us out of town. They said my magic was evil, and that I'd only hurt others because of it." Looking up, she met Rin's gaze again, squeezing his hand. "That's why I understand, Rin. I'm certain people did the same thing to you…and that it made you afraid of if you'd be accepted or not. Fairy Tail is your family, though, and we aren't going to push you away because of this."

He knew they wouldn't…but Rin almost hoped they would. Yukio's face flashed in his mind, making Rin close his eyes. Somewhere, his family still needed him. The real family he'd once known…Yukio had just lost the man who raised him. Rin had lost him too, even if he'd forgotten the details for so long. "Thank you…" He closed his eyes, holding her hand more tightly. "But…I'm sorry. I…I want to go home, Mira. I just…I want to go home."

She leaned forward, brushing aside his hair gently. "It'll be alright, Rin." He heard her voice, quiet and soft. "You can cry here, no one will have to know. And when you're done, Fairy Tail will be here, the second home you need. So, for now, just remember the home you miss…and imagine you are there, with the family you've lost. Remember them as much as you need, and hold them close to your heart. Fairy Tail can't ever replace them, but that doesn't mean you won't belong with us too."

Letting his tears fall, Rin rolled over and closed his eyes. Mira leaned closer, pulling him into a gentle hug that still pulled on his injuries too much to be comfortable. Yet, it was warm, and for a moment, he could close his eyes and imagine he'd just returned home. He could imagine Yukio was here, hugging him and telling him it'd be okay, that they'd find a way to move forward without the old man. He could imagine Yukio telling him that he was still his brother, despite the truth of Rin's heritage and despite the fact that Rin actually was a monster. Maybe tomorrow…he'd tell Mira his family really was still out there to return to. For now, he just wanted to remember, because he finally had a peaceful moment where he actually could for a change.

Sorry for another delay! Classes have started back up, and I kinda got pulled away from writing for a while. I have also fallen behind on responding to reviews, so I'm sorry if I have not answered any questions lately! I do appreciate your feedback, and I plan on returning to my usual responses now that I'm more used to my schedule. Thank you to the guests that have reviewed! I apologize for not speaking much Spanish, so unfortunately I must rely on the infamous and typically error-prone Google Translate to try and respond to the two of you.

For the unnamed guest, I'm not entirely certain what you are referencing when you mention an excessive amount of OC's in this story. The earlier chapters are almost directly taken from the original version of this story, and even then, the OC's involved were the villains of the story- the ones that established the plot for the most part (with a few exceptions, but these were the ones that were more prominent). I'm sorry it felt like it focused too much on them to you, but they have definitely helped this story progress in the direction I enjoyed for the plot. If you have suggestions on a better way to present this, I would be happy to hear more!

Soplo de vida: You are fine, I don't trust them either (though I do need them to respond - if anything in my response seems weird considering what you've said, I will blame the online translator). I did take a few high school classes in Spanish, so I know a little bit...but really only the basics, so not quite enough to respond/read reviews without assistance from something. I am happy to hear that you've found the continuation of this story, and that you are enjoying my additions thus far! I have no intentions of dropping the story before it is finished either, so it will reach a conclusion eventually, even if I do get delayed due to classes.

For everyone else, feel free to review and tell me what you think!