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"Miranda-san, I think we might be stuck here till both the snow and ice clear." Krory looked at Miranda from the doorway of her room at the inn they were currently stranded in. "Toma just went to the station to check, and the stationmaster told him that the trains will not run until the storm is over. The trains in this part of Europe are generally quite inefficient, you know."
"Oh!" Miranda mouthed, surprised and worried.
"Don't worry about it." Krory smiled kindly at her, his fangs glinting gently in the candlelight. "Toma's contacting the Headquarters now, so they know where we are. We're not in a rush anyway, so we might as well use this chance to take a good rest."
"Thanks, Krory-san." Miranda returned a nervous smile to her comrade and friend.
"Good night, then! See you tomorrow." The tall man closed the door behind him, leaving Miranda sitting before the fireplace, in the middle of the circle of dim light thrown by the wavering fire. Slowly, as if unsure of her own actions and what they meant, she drew her hands to her chest, before putting them over her rapidly-beating heart. What did this relentlessly fast pumping of her heart mean? Was there something dreadfully wrong with it? Or perhaps, was it merely due to the nervousness she was apt to feel when she was alone with a male acquaintance she barely knew?
It might be the latter, Miranda thought. I've never been around males much – back in my hometown I was ostracised and laughed at quite a bit by my classmates. I never really got the chance to talk to any of the guys my age much, especially since I was always busy being a klutz. And the one time I felt something for one of my male classmates, I spilled water all over him and he shouted at me. So maybe that's the real reason. Maybe my heart's just reacting to my natural shyness and clumsiness… But, when my heart beats were equally hard the day I tried to talk to the guy I poured water on. Is it likely that I like Krory? I can't possibly like him, can I? He's just a comrade, Miranda, don't think too much. You don't want to act like a foolish klutz in front of your friend. And besides, he isn't merely an acquaintance. He's my friend.
After a while, Miranda decided to turn in. It seemed barely an hour before someone knocked at her door.
"Who's there?" Miranda asked sleepily as she stretched her legs over the side of the soft bed, shivering at the frosty touch of the cold wooden floor. Shuffling to the door, she wrenched it open, to behold Krory staring down at her from his great height.
"Good morning, Miranda-san." Krory smiled his friendliest smile. Miranda stared at him, taking in his whole appearance before she finally told herself sternly to stop staring at her friend.
"Good morning, Krory-san." Miranda yawned, and covered her mouth with her hands. She hoped she didn't have morning breathe or have mucus around her eyes, and that her nightdress wasn't all creased and unladylike. When did I start thinking about such things? Miranda shook her head to clear her sleep-muddled thoughts. Krory was her friend, nothing more, and she shouldn't be thinking about such awkward issues on a hungry stomach anyway.
"It's time for breakfast, Miranda-san." Krory was still smiling. He noticed her messy hair. "Uh… I'll wait for you in the cafeteria, then. See you!" He turned and walked away.
[[]]
As she made her way to the dining area, watching every step lest she fall or crash into something, Miranda could smell the aroma of freshly-fried pancakes. She could smell, too, the bitter fragrance of coffee and the tangy smell of orangeade. And then it hit her nose – a whiff of cologne. She turned to her right, where the source of the smell was, and found Krory staring right back at her. She blushed when his eyes caught hers.
"Hello, Miranda-san." Krory stood up and pulled a chair out for her. She had to admit, he really was a gentleman, just like Allen-kun. He wasn't the most handsome man around, but he was definitely one of the most courteous men she had ever met. Those males in her hometown couldn't compete, certainly.
"Hello, Krory-san. Have you had breakfast?"
"No. I was waiting for you. Wait here, I'll get us some breakfast." Krory rose and departed.
Before long, the tall exorcist was back with two trays of food. He handed one to Miranda before devouring his own. Miranda giggled at the sight of him eating. Even though he didn't eat as much as Allen did, there was still something rather amusing about the ravenous way he gobbled down his food. He heard her giggle, and looked up to smile at her. She found herself wanting to look him in the eyes more and more.
[[]]
On the fourth day of their captivity, Krory and Miranda found themselves in Miranda's tastefully furnished room, sitting at the mahogany table, playing a game of chess. Miranda moved a piece.
"Miranda-san, actually, it's my turn now." Krory told his friend in a soft voice, hoping that he wouldn't scare her. The little, petite woman was quite nice, really, and he did have a soft spot for brunettes after all. He didn't want her to start crying over a small matter.
"Oh no! I'm so sorry! I'm so so sorry!" Miranda bowed her head in dejection, and salty tears glistened in her dark eyes. "I didn't mean to take your turn!"
"Miranda-san, it's really okay..." Krory tried to calm his friend down.
"I'm quite useless. I can't even play chess properly! And I'm of no help at all on the real battlefield, either! I always end up not being able to protect even myself. I'm so sorry that I can't remove the wounds you all receive, that I can't bring back the dead, and that I can't help in some better way. I'm so sorry!" Tears that glittered in the rosy glow of the candles and the fire rolled down Miranda's face. Krory paused in the middle of his ministering, and gaped. Some tears had been caught in her long, curly lashes, and these now proceeded to sparkle in the dim light. Unable to help himself, Krory reached across the table to wipe those pearly tears off Miranda's long lashes.
"Come, Miranda-san, don't cry." He walked over to her, and held her in his bosom for some time. "How about we go visit my castle? It's pretty near. That might cheer you up."
[[]]
Miranda walked slowly at Krory's side as they trudged through the thick snow. Luckily for them, Krory's castle was really situated very close to their inn, and they were able to walk there without too much difficulty. Miranda found it hard to say anything to Krory, though, considering the fact that her face had been stuck to his chest for a few minutes back when she was crying in her room. She blushed at the remembrance of his hard, muscular chest upon which she had shed her worthless tears.
Krory noticed her blush. He was rather partial to the rosy glow upon her pale check; it gave her a girlish touch, he thought, though of course no one could ever be as girlishly pretty as his Eliade. "You okay?"
"I'm fine." Miranda was vexed that Krory had noticed the pink tint in her cheeks, and was even more vexed to find herself blushing harder. What was wrong with her? Then she stopped. In front of her stood an old, haunting castle, with countless broken battlements, silhouetted against the dimly lit sky. Above the castle was draped a scattering brush of twinkling stars, a gem-encrusted crown for the old, lonely mansion.
"Your castle is lovely, Krory-san." Miranda smiled. His only response was to pull her in. Together, they walked down the long, dark hallways, footsteps reverberating in the dusty rooms and halls. Finally, they stopped at an ornate door.
"This is the ballroom." Krory ushered Miranda in. "You know, Miranda-san, this place holds many memories for me."
"How so?" Miranda was curious now. She followed him as he travelled across the large expanse of polished parquet to the glass windows that surrounded the entire ballroom. They paused where the railings were, and Krory stared unseeingly out of the window. Miranda wondered why even the magnificent ballroom was so dark and dim; the many full-length windows didn't seem to let any light into the desolate castle.
"Eliade and I used to spend many happy hours here together, looking out over the mountains. We loved their shadowy realms and the twilight that hangs forever in the valleys there. But now she's gone, and I'm all alone."
"Was Eliade your wife?"
"No. She was my first love." Krory sighed. "And now, I feel guilty. I feel like I'm letting her down."
"Why?"
"She used to be the queen of my heart. No one could rival her, that fair princess. If only she hadn't been an akuma. But I loved her all the same.'
"I see." Miranda placed a comforting arm on Krory's shoulder. He could feel it, the soft, warm hand. In spite of his troubled heart, he smiled. He knew what he had to do, to prevent love's whisper from eluding him again.
"Do you know why I'm troubled?" Krory refused to let Miranda's gaze shift from his eyes and his face.
"No?" Miranda ventured an answer, tentatively.
"I still love Eliade. But lately, you've entered my thoughts too." Krory gathered Miranda's hands in his own big ones. Miranda merely stared at him in silence, shocked and unable to respond.
"Miranda, I love you." Krory finally said. Miranda vaguely took in the fact that Krory had called her Miranda for once and not Miranda-san as he was apt to do. So he liked her too!
"Well, I… I... I think I like you, too." Miranda stuttered her way through her answer. Krory's only answer was to sweep her into his wide-armed embrace.
[[]]
"Allen-kun! Lavi!" Lenalee shouted, "Come here now! Krory and Miranda are coming!"
Together, the two younger exorcists watched the entrance of the two older ones. To their big surprise, Krory and Miranda were holding hands.
Lenalee smiled and offered her congratulations, and Allen grinned at his friends, but it was Lavi who had the last word.
"You're together? That's great! I knew you two would be perfect for each other."
A/N: hahaha wrote this for Krory/Miranda month! I realised there was such a thing when i read a couple of Krory/Miranda fics around. So yeahh haha. Actually i'm not really such a big fan of this pairing, but it's been quite a while since i last featured these two. So i wrote this in a hurry :D
Please review if you want to haha, and thanks for reading!