A/N: Ok. Trying to update faster. I know my last chapter was horrible, but, if you kept reading, thank you for suffering through it. It is very much appreciated. So, I want to try something new so I'll be answering reviews here, ne?
Wolf: No you won't.
Me: Why not?
Wolf: Because you're stupid and will lose all of your fans.
Me: N-no I won't!
Wolf: Are you sure about that?
Rin: Elusive Panther doesn't own Ao No Exorcist.
xXxXx
A week had pasted since being poisoned, and the Esquires still didn't know what had happened. Multiple times had the thought of going back to slums crossed their mind, but, the labyrinth was too hard to get through, even if they tried.
So, their only choice was to stay put, go to cram school, and pass exams. Honestly, everyone thought it was a drag.
Every day, Shiemi would catch herself looking to her right to look at Rin during class, but, would be greeted by an empty seat.
Shiemi walked down the long hallway to cram class, but stopped when she heard footsteps behind her. She looked behind her to see Rin, waving and having a wide grin plastered to his face.
"Shiemi, what's wrong?" A voice asked.
Shiemi woke from her daze and the image of Rin disappeared, and Izumo appeared in front of her, looking at her with curious eyes and her usual scowl. Shiemi shook her head and smiled to Izumo. "Hello, Izumo-san. Sorry, I was spacing out." Shiemi laughed a bit and watched Izumo sigh and walk down the hallways to cram class.
Shiemi followed Izumo to class, eyes downcast. She didn't want to be there. She just wanted to see Rin's old smile, the happy silly smile she saw every day. But, even if she said anything, she would've already known the answer.
Shiemi followed Izumo into class and sat in her seat, her right side empty again. Class went by in a blur, and even how hard Shiemi tried to process the information, the facts about the difference between holy water and real water wouldn't make sense.
After class was over, no one got up from their seat. Nobody moved. It just wasn't the same without Rin. There was no Rin saying something stupid and obvious, leading to Bon shouting a few insults and explaining. No yelps as Rin was put into a head lock by Shura, and then protests as she dragged him back to training. No gunshots heard as Yukio would threaten Rin as he procrastinated on homework and no Kuro as he meowed on Rin's shoulders.
But, who was Rin?
Shiemi remembered the first time Wolf had really talked to her, inside Wolf's room.
'Everyone, including Demon, has killed at least once.'
That wasn't true, right? But, if it was, then, why?
She had already heard the story, about why Rin chose to fight, in order to protect not only his home, but Yukio as well. She had heard how he had joined, but, it still didn't make sense to her.
What she didn't get was that if Laughing Shadows could've gotten six bodies over the Boarder, and had gotten them all the way to True Cross, why didn't they come over to the city to live themselves?
xXxXx
Yukio sat at his desk in the cold dorm, piles of paperwork sprawled around him. He too, had questions of his own.
"I don't get it." Yukio muttered under his breath, not wanting to get caught talking to himself. Not only who he seem stressed, but also insane.
Like Shiemi, he wondered why Laughing Shadows didn't live in the city, if they themselves had brought them back. But, what if Laughing Shadows wasn't the one who brought them back, but someone else? Who exactly had told the teachers that they were sick? Who told the exorcists that they had been on a mission? Why hadn't Shura thought it was weird for all of this to be happening?
And, most of all, why had they never seen a single demon in the slums?
It was common sense for demons to harbor in dark places, and the slums should've been a breeding ground for any type of demon. Demons liked dark, dank places and people with dark natures, the perfect place to find both elements, would've been the slums. There were enough dead bodies for Ghouls and Naberius, and dust, fungi, and dirt for Coal Tar (1).
Yukio took a deep breath, staring out the window, into the cold darkness outside, trying to slow his mind. He had been an exorcist since he was seven now, there had to be a reasonable answer to everything. Father had taught him better.
There had to an answer. And it was likely that his brother had the answers.
xXxXx
It was dark. It was cold. It was tight.
And it stank.
That was all I remembered.
The clanking of the railroad tracks rang out and the rocking of the train kept me awake. The footsteps of the guard walked back and forth in front of the crate I was hiding in. Many had tried to get on the train, so far, only me and some others managed to sneak aboard.
Some of us knew where we were headed; some of us were just running.
The train slowed to a stop, and I was moved, jostled, slid, and stacked until I ended up on a boat, rocking back and forth. I had peeked through the small hole in the side of the crate, and saw the waves moving back and forth, and land getting farther and farther away.
I saw no guards and expected it was alright, but I still didn't move. I didn't move until night. By the time I had crawled out, I instantly jumped into the water. I didn't know what to do. I was simply running.
I saw the shore by the sunrise, and dragged myself out of the water and onto a rotting dock, running straight for a clump of buildings once I had regained my balance. The ground was dirty and wet, rats glared at me with red eyes as I sprinted past. I didn't know if anyone was still following.
I had camped in dumpsters and molding boxes for many nights each place different. Every day I pasted a dead man, sometimes the blood still fresh, some had died months ago. They all reminded me of what I was running from.
I ran into people speaking a foreign language, and I mumbled an apology in English, not knowing if they understood me. But it labeled me as an outcast. I was different, so I strayed from the main streets. I tried to get out of the town, but a wall stopped me every time. It was after one of my many attempts of running from the town did I meet him.
He didn't look like much, but he was obviously bigger and stronger than me, and had several scars up and down his arms, most of them scabbed over. He wore a white T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. He was around eleven, while I was only nine.
"Haven't seen you around, you new?" He asked in rough English.
"None of ya' business." I replied.
"I'll take that as a yes. What your name?"
"None of ya' business." I repeated.
"Fine."
His fist appeared in front of my face and I stood my ground, his eyes glaring at me, and his bleached hair lit up by the moonlight.
"The name's Crow, remember it if you want to live."
"Whatever." I said blankly, trying my hardest not to show fear.
Crow fumed at my comment, but quickly hid his emotions, only letting a smirk playing on his lips.
"I like your style, Rock." He smirked, trying to get under my skin.
"Rock?" My eyes narrowed briefly, trying to be intimidating.
"Your new name, like or not. Follow me." He pulled away, and walked down an alley, me following only a few paces behind. He lead me into an untraveled maze, and a large cement building loomed above us, blood splattered to the sides.
"Wha-"I started to ask one of my many questions forming in my mind, only to be cut off.
"Welcome to Laughing Shadows, Rock."
"What? Why?" I asked, staring up at the huge building, light shining from most of the rooms.
"You don't have a home, and you seem strong, so, if you pass the tests, will you join? I'll teach you Japanese, and you'll fit in, besides, I'll be here if you need me, so, will ya~?" Crow grinned ear to ear, his eyes closed in happiness, and a warm aura coming off of him.
I nodded, and Crow walked over to a heavy metal door, trying to pull it open. I walked over and pulled it open. Crow stared at me in shock, and grinned.
It was so simple back then.
Now, only chaos.
xXxXx
'I guess they're not happy.' I smirked, at I dodged a volley of bullets and turned a corner, dashing in and out of alleys, my 'happy volunteers' still chasing.
I needed them off my trail, and soon. And yet, it was so interesting. It had been a while I had been chased on the ground, rather than the roofs.
After a mile, I was tiring of my fun game, and jumped on top of a dumpster and onto the nearest roof, thankful for the closely packed housing. I heard annoyed shouts as my 'happy volunteers' saw my disappearing form, hearing a very colorful vocabulary from most of them.
It was so interesting how people came up with insults.
I quickly sobered when I saw Laughing Shadows base in the distance, the sun rising in the east and I quickened my pace. I jumped from the my path of rooftops and hit the hard cement below, a spike of pain running up my legs, but I quickly shook my head and walked forward, towards home.
I pulled the heavy metal door open, and closed it, and walked into the living room, only to have Crow stop me from getting to the stairs.
"You get anyone?"
I sighed, and turned. "Does it look like it? If I had gotten anyone, wouldn't I have brought them here?"
"I guess."
"And what about you?" I challenged. "It looks like you had as much luck I did. What about Demon and Rock?" I asked.
"Nothing. This war isn't looking good." Crow leaned against a wall, eyes down cast.
"So," I said, "are we going to die?"
"I dunno."
xXxXx
A/N: Ok, I'm finally done! I've had writer's block for a while now, actually, currently. So, I decided to sit my ass down and get to work, so, I'm sorry for the horrid chapter. Truthfully, this chapter was my chapter of "clearing up unnecessary questions" if you guys had any. So, let's see, cleared up Rock's past, how Rock and Crow met, how Rock joined, whether or not the Esquires were still alive from the last chapter, and why the teachers or exorcists. But, at the same time, made even more questions. Sigh.
So, if you have questions you want to be answered later in the story, review them to me. And, if you're a guest, still review, the more questions asked, the answered, the better the storyline is to understand.
I'm a very confusing person.
Anyways:
(1)Whose kin are the Coal Tar, Ghouls, and Naberius?
Oh, and a few more things.
I've stopped the poll for the new leader for LS. Rin won!
Put up a fun poll if you want to guess my age, depending on my writing. Good luck guessing! X3
OK, for those who are annoyed at my slow updates, at the bottom of my profile, I keep a progress report which is updated every time I finish writing for the day. Sorry for the slow updates! Komenosai!
OK! FOR THE ANSWERS TO LAST CHAPTERS QUESTIONS!
#1: The answer for "And heave. And heave. And stop." Was the movie "Castle in the Sky", for those of you who guessed "Spirited Away", good guess, but the quote from Spirited Away never said "And stop." So, I'm sorry for those who got it wrong, don't yell at me! *hides in corner*
#2: Everyone who guessed got it right! There were multiple answers so; I'll just name those who guessed right! Ok: AnimeKpopKawaii, Superpixie11, and Ichiruzuka!
And, for those wondering. No, no I am not dead. I'll leave a notice when I do though. XD
