Paradox [Blue Exorcist x Male Reader]

Evergrowing Rifts

[Y/n] groaned as he rubbed his bandaged arm for what felt like the hundredth time that morning. Every part of his body was screaming out in pain, much to his familiar's amusement. The blue-furred split wolf happily trotted along beside his master as they made their way toward the train they were scheduled to board. The train to Kyoto.

Thankfully, he had gotten the necessary vaccination for this mission from Arthur before he left the Paladin's personal training grounds, but the sting of the needle hurt a lot less than the various bruises adorning his body from the training he'd undergone. [Y/n] sighed as he thought over what was in store for him. The last few weeks with Arthur had been complete and utter hell. The blonde bastard pushed him to the brink of exhaustion day in and day out to get as clear an understanding as possible of how Sema operated. Training after training. Spar after spar. The [h/c]-haired boy hadn't a moment of peace. Such a short time felt like a decade.

And the worst part? The damn Paladin actually made a load of great points in his training that helped [Y/n] come along leaps and bounds in such a short amount of time. Much to the boy's dismay, as it practically invalidated all his complaining.

The young man pushed his thoughts to the side as he came to a halt, standing firm in front of the door to the bullet train. He let out a shaky breath as he closed his eyes, letting the events of the lantern-hunting night replay in his head. That simple training exorcise that turned into an inescapable nightmare. 

He can still remember it all so clearly; the feel of Amaimon's hand around his throat, the roar of Rin's sapphire flames as he revealed himself to the world, the look of sheer betrayal and fear on the faces of his classmates, and Rin's look of abject horror when he watched [Y/n] get dragged though the portal door before blacking out. So much happened in such a short time, it almost still felt like a bad dream. But it was all real. Rin. Shura. Yukio. Angel. And his classmates. Just what had happened in the time he was gone?

'I should have done more.'
'Could I have stopped it?'
'If I had been stronger...'

As he firmly balled his shaky hands into fists as he shook his thoughts away. There was no point in kicking himself for what he could have done or thinking about how things could have turned out. They didn't have that luxury anymore. This was their reality and if they couldn't change it, he'd damn well do everything he could to make it right. He had faith in Shura and he knew that if Rin had been in her care all this time, he'd be safe. He was more worried about how the others reacted.

Letting out one last shaky breath, the young man stepped forward alongside his familiar, his hand grasping the case on his back and they both boarded the train.

"What are they thinking sending him with us?" Was the first thing [Y/n] heard as he stepped into the passenger cart. His whole body stiffened as he looked up to see Rin with his eyes glued to the floor while Koneko, Shima and Bon sat behind him, their expressions ranging from terrified to enraged. "What are we gonna do if he goes on another rampage?" Koneko asked as he practically shook on the spot, moving his arm slightly as he rubbed his right arm that was still in a sling from when Amaimon snapped it.

"Damn it..." [Y/n] breathed out. He hated being right. They were treating Rin like some kind of rabid dog. This wasn't going to be easy. As he tried to think of something to say, his familiar decided to take matters into his own hands, running between his legs and heading straight for the four boys. "Flor?" [Y/n] questioned but got no reply as the demon happily trotted over to the boys.

"I-" Rin began, turning back to the three boys, but cut himself off when a familiar mound of bright blue fur pounced on him, wrapping his paws around his neck as he immediately started to lap and lick his face affectionately. Rin's eyes went wide as he fell back into his seat and the trio looked on in shock as the three-tailed wolf nuzzled against the boy they had been chastising just moments prior. [Y/n] stared for a moment before a soft smile crossed his face. Flor really was the best. It didn't even take him a second to know what to do. Rin slowly came to his senses as he ran a hand through Flor's soft fur, his eyes wide as saucers. "Flor?" He questioned quietly, as if not believing what he was seeing.