Author Notes: Hi guys! So I had to take this down and rework it to fit FF's guidelines, but I'm back with the same story title and all! I've been out of the writing game for years now, as I've put all of my novels on hold in exchange for life; working and surviving with little to no creativity. I've become inspired yet again to start writing and doing what I want to do with my life. Blue Exorcist really made me miss working on my books, since most of my stories have to do with gods/demons and take place in the underworld. So now I'm kind of re-obsessed, and wanting to get back into the writing spirit. This will be my first fanfic. Depending on how long and in depth I make this, you *may* see OC characters, and there might be some cross over/references/character personalities to my universe, but I will try to stay as canon to the Manga as possible. I will also add in some story arcs from the Anime, and configure them to fit with the Manga and it's timeline as best as possible. This will not be my best work, as I will just be jotting things down, trying to get the brain juices flowing.
Warning: This fic will be rated M/MA. I don't write for children, or for teens either really. There will be adult content, strong language, some drug use, nudity and violence. So for the sake of this ~ I'm changing the Blue Exorcist universe to True Cross University, where everyone will be of college-age, because I don't feel comfortable writing minors in situations they shouldn't be in ;) I will include content warnings at the beginning of each chapter. *FOR FF - I will have to edit a lot of the MA content to fit into the M guidelines, sorry guys!*
Trigger Warning: If you have PTSD/anxiety issues/any other issues brought on by experiences from any form of abusive relationships, this may not be the fic for you. Part of this will indeed be a way of me expressing my experiences with emotional/mental abuse.
Last thing! This fic will also be published on my DeviantArt (OccultxPrincess) which will be rated M/MA and include all MA content. I may post it to my Tumblr blog (occultxprincess) as well, where I post a lot of updates on the fic, headcannons, etc, and take suggestions for the fic. Feel free to check out either if you please.

Chapter 1. Introductions.

Warning: Language

The courtyard was bursting with students, all new to True Cross University. Some had decided to head towards their dorms, while others made their way towards the school facilities even before they were told to do so. A few rushed by, on their way to the book store, hoping to snag a few textbooks and supplies that they had put off until the last minute. Many were standing, packed like sardines, waiting for orders to be announced while they scanned their maps and class lists, casually chattering about everything and anything that came to mind. Off to the side, near the entrance gate to the courtyard, was a girl. Mouth agape, she stood in awe, taking in the vastness of the complex before her.

This was it. This was the day. She felt as if her whole life had been leading up to this moment. She had studied extensively to enter the Exorcist Cram School, and yet despite average grades in high school, had managed to land a full-ride scholarship to one of the most prestigious universities on what seemed like a whim; and she was determined not to let such an opportunity pass her by.

The city that the University called home was huge compared to the little town she was born and raised in, but the building before her was unlike anything she could have ever possibly imagined. Overwhelmed with feelings of excitement, nervousness, joy, and sheer terror swirling in the pit of her stomach, the girl couldn't manage to even step foot into the courtyard. She just stood at the gate like a stone sentry, arms loose at her sides, bags weighing on her shoulders like boulders, cementing her into the ground even further, her papers feeling like they might slip out of her fingers just as easily as the scholarship could.

Off to the side, a boy with dark hair and pointed ears scratched his head, repeatedly looking over his papers and then around the crowd, as if he was searching for the answer to a question he hadn't even thought of yet. Scanning over one unfamiliar face after another, his eyes passed over the girl by the gate, and abruptly came back to her. She was a little plain in appearance, but beautiful nonetheless, and something called out to him in such a way that he couldn't take his eyes off of her. And so, he watched her for a bit, despite the hustle and bustle of the courtyard, just taking her in. A few students entered through the gate and stopped in their tracks to look at their own papers, blocking his line of sight. He moved in every direction until his eyes laid on her once more; a sweet face with plump lips, and lost eyes.

He had to talk to her.

Without even thinking, he waded his way through the crowd, eyes never leaving the side of her rose-brushed cheek. He didn't care how he talked to her, he didn't care what he talked to her about. He just knew he had to be near her, to see her up close, to hear her voice. For what reasons, he was completely at a loss for. Though when he stood close her, he could barely muster up the strength to open his mouth. He just studied her as she was in her own world, until finally he couldn't take it anymore.

"H-hey, are you new here, too?" he stuttered.

The voice rang through her body like her alarm clock had just woken her from the most deep, entrancing sleep of her lifetime. Papers and books flew out of her arms in every direction, except the few she was able to cling to at the very last moment, before they could escape her reach. Gasping, she dropped to the ground to collect her belongings before they blew away with the crisp autumn breeze. He frantically grabbed a few papers in their attempts at flight, and then stooped down to help gather the rest of the girls' things. By this time, she was on to picking her textbooks that had dropped from her shocked grasp, and as she placed her hand on the last one, she noticed another grabbed it at the same time.

Looking up from the ground, her gaze met a boy with dark hair and strangely pointed ears. He smiled, apologizing for startling her, and she couldn't help but to blush when being reminded of looking like a fool. Standing, she nodded, and quickly changed the subject. "What was that earlier?"

"Oh, I had asked if you were new. To the school, I mean. Are you new to the school?" his voice came out like a jackhammer.

She gave a slow nod, her eyes wide and questioning.

"Well, shit. So you probably know just about as much as I do about this place," he heaved, dropping his things, a weight being lifted off his chest for finally making the move and striking up a conversation. His scabbard clanked onto the ground and rested against his waist. "I was hoping maybe you weren't, so you could help me out, but with a face like that I figured as much."

Her ears grew warm as she glanced down at the toes of her shoes for a split second. "Well, I'm sorry." The expression on her face was unaltered confusion, with a slight hue of aversion.

He paused, and then roared with laughter, perhaps as a way to diffuse the own nervous feeling within his being. "No! Don't worry about it! I think I'm in the same boat, this place is huge! I have no idea what's going on – after the orientation meeting they just excused us out here and no one's said a thing!"

A feeling of dread plunged over her whole body as she realized her tardiness had cost her the orientation meeting. There was absolutely no room for error, she reminded herself, trying to be as discreet with her displeasure while in the company of other people. It was then that an authoritative voice came on over the loudspeaker, calling for people to group up by names to start touring the school. Signs popped up over the heads of students, displaying letters of the alphabet.

"My names Okumura; Rin Okumura. My brother is Yukio Okumura, he's over there," he motioned to a boy off in the distance with some other students. "What's your name?"

A half-hearted smile cracked on her lips. "It's not important," she mumbled, standing on her toes to try and see over the tops of the other students to locate the sign that coordinated with the first letter of her surname.

"Don't be like that," he urged, cocking his head to the side in order to catch her eyes. "Come on, what's your name? Everyone has one!"

Uninterested in small talk at the moment, she reluctantly told the boy her name after more subtle persuasion, hoping that it would satisfy him. He let her name roll around in his mouth, while noticing her struggling to see over the tops of the students.

"Looks like that's your group over there," he said, pointing off in one direction. "Mine's this way," he spoke while motioning to the opposite end of the courtyard. "So it looks like we're going our separate ways then."

Following the direction of Rin's finger, she could barely make out the letters on the sign due to the sheer number of students, some towering above her petite frame. "Thank you!" she exclaimed. "You didn't have to do that, I would have figured it out myself," she retorted, eyes on the boy. "But I do appreciate it very much. I'm so sorry, I'm kind of—" she pressed the tips of her fingers to her temples, and then blew them out around her skull while making an explosion noise, a feeble attempt to convey how out of sorts she was at the moment.

He couldn't help but to find her attempts to be callously focused, exceptionally captivating, even though it was clear she was going for the complete opposite. Chuckling, he shook his head. "Don't worry about it. Maybe we'll see each other another time! It was nice to meet you."