The Blue Exorcist; Book 1
A Fairy Tail + Blue Exorcist Crossover fan-inspired story
By Gothic Rain
Disclaimer: See Chapter One
Chapter Five, Newcomers
Time never slowed as the children at the Tower of Heaven worked indignantly throughout the day. One boy stood out from the rest: where other boys and girls eyes were empty or longing, this boy's eyes held a fire that would never die. The slaver's left him alone after that one day he did the impossible, and not even the children could fathom what drove this boy to be as strong as they knew he was.
The boy, Rin Okumura, was currently wielding a sharp pickaxe into some tough ore while ignoring the sweat that slid across every surface of skin. Some of the children found it strange that such a soft-looking child had a heart made of gold that could never be melted. It was almost as though cold steel wrapped around that heart with a couple spikes sticking out just for extra measure.
Rin never broke under the pressure or the work, nor did he allow any one he cared for suffer any further than they already were. The slavers would worry more of Rin's ability to begin a rebellion against them had they not known he would do anything to keep those he cared for safe. He was like a guardian angel in a sense, who would willingly have his wings clipped if it meant his friends would be safe.
It was Rin who decided the only way to remind himself what he was fighting for and who he was as a person, and not a demon, was by taking everything by the day. He wouldn't long for a future he could see, instead he would make it with every action he took. He would not cower, he would wait for an opportunity.. even if it would take years before one became available.
"Alright brats! You got a ten minute break and they you'll be back to work. We have some more slaves coming in so don't make a fuss if some things change!" A slaver yelled over at them, causing many of them to drop what they were doing with sighs. Rin held himself up differently however, knowing he was being watched. He felt the need to show the slavers he wasn't as controlled by them as they may have believed and instead slowly eased out of his work before heading over to the group of children.
Three slavers were dumping scraps of food into the sand where the children were and many of them threw themselves forward. Some even pushed and grabbed to reach more food than the next guy but when Rin was seen everyone immediately backed away from the food. Rin thought about saying something to their reactions before remembering his last reactions the past few days and instead sighed quietly to himself as he picked up some pieces of bread and half eaten drum of meat.
He wandered back over to his work place and sat down with his meager lunch. When he looked up his eyes sought out familiar faces but being on the other side of the island had separated himself from them. All he could do was hope that they were safe, and alive most of all.
As his teeth tore through a slack of meat his gaze turned towards the ocean where a small ship (that was no doubt rather large up close) slowly sailed towards the small little island they worked. He was certain that ship was another slave ship, the second one to come in the last... what was it? It had to have been at least fifty days since he's been here.
He knew that the other children were trying to count the days as some sort of survival instinct, or obsession, but Rin knew thinking of the days would only make him think back in time. He wouldn't do that because his mind needed to be in the present, otherwise he'd find himself losing his will for the cause he's fighting for.
Fighting to stay alive and keep his friends alive. All the boys and girls here, really. He needed to keep them alive. Just remembering the way Derek died back on the ship that brought him here almost made him lose his stomach. He though of how Lily cried out for him, but couldn't day anything to help. They all saw someone die that day, but Lily lost someone close.
Death cuts deep, Rin realized. Miss Jones had struck deep in his heart but he never really saw how her death affected everyone else. She had always been there for him. But when he saw Derek, a boy he'd never met or seen before die in front of his eyes... he didn't want to see another person die again. Especially someone his own age, he had a whole life beyond him, and he lost it all to the slavers.
Rin grit his teeth, brushing the crumbs of his meal to the sand for the crabs, and kept himself from sending a glare to the watchful slavers.
He wanted the slavers to pay.. he really did. But more than anything he wanted to make sure no child would ever be sent here again and go through what they were going through now. The slavers could wait when it comes to his friends. These kids. They were the priority. He fought for them. He lived for them. And he knows what death does to a person... he knows that they all needed to live so they could fight back - together.
For now, he just needed to wait. And wait for an opportunity he would.
The slaver's seemed all too busy rounded the new kids off the ship to notice how many of them were watching - to Rin's relief. His fingers and arms were glad to gain some feeling back from the numbness that inhabited after working the pickaxe another half hour. To his surprise however, there weren't as many slaves coming off the ship as he expected. The ship he had left when he first came here had at least three dozen while this group was a dozen at most.
They looked quite the group too, not to mention.
The first one that caught his eye was a small girl with long scarlet-red hair and a look in her eyes unlike his own. She was scared though, much like he was. And although for him it was fear for the other kids, he couldn't blame her own fear for the situation she found herself in. She reminded him a bit of Lily, whom he hasn't seen since the first couple days he first arrived.
He hadn't realized how much he missed her (as well as the other children) until he felt the clawing beneath his chest.
Behind her was a taller boy with vibrant blue hair and an interesting tattoo or perhaps rune running vertically on his right eye. His eyes remained firm on Scarlet, as though determined to not let her out of his sight. Rin's lips twitched slightly, this boy reminded him of himself. Hopefully he won't kill a slaver to stay with her though, but then again he didn't appear to be drawing much attention to himself - much like he had done.
They should be fine on their own, by the looks of it. Even if they look like they don't want to be separated any day soon.
There was another girl with flat snow-white hair, and skin nearly as white as her own hair. She wasn't like Lily though, Rin decided. Not with the way she curled in on herself, as though wishing she could just dive into the water and let the ocean swallow her whole.
Rin peered at another red-head, though this one's hair more shaded like dried-blood than the girl's Scarlet-red, but he seemed to hold himself pretty well. Outcasted from the others for some reason, the boy hardly spared a glance at them and was as tense as one could be. There was also this raven-haired boy, who struck Rin as kind of strange, by the look in the boy's equally dark eyes. It was as though he wasn't down on Earthland but somewhere lost in another world. His smile was also a bit unnerving - not to mention.
A blonde, sun-kissed, dark-skinned boy stood out from the others as well, but despite this he looked terrified and small compared to the others. His entire body was completely shaking, and Rin questioned if the boy would survive long here on his own. The slaver's would probably be placing bets as to how long before the boy dropped on his feet to later be thrown unceremonially into the ocean - as a final resting place.
"Not on my watch," Rin grumbled to himself, before turning his gaze to another boy. Unlike the other children, this boy looked alive. Or rather awake and thriving for the next adventure, as though his energy was limitless. His eyes were dark and intense while his hair had a tamable spikiness that were about as dark as his eyes were.
He imagined the life would turn cold within a week's end.
The other girl he worried for: brown hair cropped short against her head with strange cat-like nose and mouth. Her eyes were down-casted, and he had no doubt that she was most likely the youngest of the group. He would keep her safe too, he decided.
The next boy was a bit taller than the rest but in more muscle than height of what his age could handle. He stroked Rin as the strong type. Someone who endured and moved forward. His hair was matted with spikes and not quite black, but neither quite blue. His eyes were the same by the looks of things. He seemed a little roughed up by appearances - perhaps he had given the slavers a hard time.
Rin hoped so.
The second to last boy disappointed Rin somewhat. He was rather plump and meager looking by first impressions with curly hair that could've been mistaken for an afro and large slit eyes that somewhat concerned Rin. Despite that every time one of the other boys caught his eye his entire demeanor seemed to relax before intensifying all over again.
He'd decided to be wary of that guy.
And lastly there was the tall, skinny kid. He nearly reminded Rin of a human toothpick. He had a buzz-cut and a sharp pointy nose that seemed to distance itself from the kid's face. Rin wondered what would happen if one flicked his nose...
Although he thought it was kind of cool to have eyebrows horizontally shaped like lightning bolts - blonde too.
And that was the last of that load and without further glance, Rin immediately returned to his work not needed to risk catching another slaver's eyes. He had been left alone for months now, and he was hoping to keep the record clean. Although when his eyes caught slight of the newcomers being forced into the building, Rin had a feeling these kids may cause an uproar...
One that will aid him in starting a rebellion.
Well, there you have it. I hope this isn't too slow paced or anything with you guys but I work with the time I have...
I am still searching for a beta but if anyone has any questions feel free to send me a PM or ask it in a review. So long,
-Gothic Rain