Title: Acquainted with you
Pairing: Arystar Krory III x Miranda Lotto
Rating: K+
Warning: I don't own D Gray-Man.
Summary: Krory and Miranda start their relationship from the basis, but they don't know where this will lead them.
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Chapter I : Knowing Me, Knowing You
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'I am so glad that Lenalee-chan is alive and alright…', Miranda Lotto thought as she smiled in relief. It had been the longest night in her life and, for once, she was thankful to her insomnia. Everything was in her hands and, if she'd fallen asleep, she would have failed. 'This is my first mission, after all… I can't spoil everything just because of tiredness…'
Anita's ship dangerously swinged and the poor German woman had to clutch to the first doorknob she found to not fall down. She'd already experienced that and she didn't want to hurt herself again. 'Hey, this is not the kind of thoughts you should have! Everybody's covered with serious wounds and you're afraid of some little bruise?! You're such a stupid person!', she thought as the door opened. She looked around to see where she was and sighed in relief: luckily it wasn't the sailors' room –she knew they were getting drunk in that very moment and she absolutely didn't want to deal with them in such a condition-, nor in Anita's room –she liked the ship's owner, but she was kind of overawed by her presence. She was quite the noblewoman, wasn't she?-. However, to Miranda, it would have been better to chug down wine or to have a cup of tea instead of finding herself there.
"Aw, Miranda! What a nice surprise!"
Arystar Krory, sitting by the window, smiled lovingly at his fellow Exorcist. His fangs glowed, she shivered.
"K-Krory-san… I was looking for you…", she said without thinking of her words.
"Really?"
"Really?", she repeated as she blushed. "O-oh… ja… it was to see… if you were… alright…", she stammered. She still didn't know why, but everytime the half vampire was around, her heart started beating faster. Well, it used to happen each time someone who wasn't a female talked to her, but with him it was different.
The man pointed at the chair in front of him. "Come here, won't you?"
"Yes… of course…", Miranda nodded and sat down. Again, for an unknown reason, she hoped her hair looked fine. 'Since when do I care for such stupid things?!'
"It was kind of you to worry about my health, Miranda", Krory smiled and rested his chin on his palm. He stared at the woman with the corner of the eye and wondered why he was so nervous. He surely wasn't an excellent actor, but he was surprised: he could control his feelings in a perfect way. "I'm fine, thanks to that Time Record of yours… it's really an useful weapon!"
Miranda blinked: useful? She used to say that she was useless, that everything she did was useless and so on. Now somebody had told her the opposite. It was even sweeter than that time when Allen and Lenalee said thank you. "D-do you think… so…?"
Krory grinned and nodded. "Yeah! Without it I'd be lying in a bed, exhausted and so wounded that I couldn't fight and protect my friends."
"They're really lucky to have someone as kind as you", Miranda whispered, staring at her Time Record.
"They? You were included, you know…", Krory chuckled a little. She was quite funny. Even if he knew that he was teasing her and it wasn't properly nice of him. Yet, he couldn't help, but act like a jerk. 'N-no, wait! She could stand up and walk away!'
"M-me?", Miranda frowned. "You've just met me, how can you call me friend?"
Krory sighed as he closed his eyes. She was just like he used to be: hesitant and self confident at all. "Hm… listen carefully to my words. When I first arrived to the Headquarters, people had organ-", he stopped. Maybe she wasn't aware of Black Order's famous Welcome parties and she still had to have hers. "Well… people welcomed me in a warm way… like if I had been there since ages. Allen and Lavi were covered with wounds I inflicted them, yet they patted me on the back, gave me wonderful smiles and treated me gently. Lenalee too, she was clearly scared of these fangs of mine, but she was really nice to me. A maiden! I couldn't believe it, but I slowly understood that time doesn't matter: you can be friend with everybody if they're good people. Er… I'm not excellent at words… am I?"
Miranda looked at him. That was exactly the way she felt. "Nein… I got it… and it's a wonderful thing. I've never had friends, that's probably why I was so shocked when you said that thing… I don't know how it feels to have friends…"
"I guessed so", Krory smiled and took her hands in his. "I felt the same way, but now I'm a different man. I hope you can change as well."
Miranda blushed. He was cute, really cute. Now her heart was knocking at her chest, begging her to let it free. "D-danke… it'd be gorgeous…"
"I believe you can do it, Miranda!", the man chuckled. She was shivering and he was trying his best to cheer her up. Yet, he didn't know why he was so keen on making her smile or laugh. She was just a fellow, but he was sure he wasn't so moved when he talked to Lenalee. 'They're both girls, but… why?'
"Do you?", she looked at him with watery eyes. Her lips curved into a small smile and she wiped away tears. "S-sorry, I've never been told such nice things… I cry because I'm happy…"
Krory blushed. It was painful to see her like that, yet she told him it was nothing to worry about. She surely was the most complex thing he'd ever dealed with. "Okay…"
"It's just that I used to live by myself… since my parents died I've not had anyone to talk to or to whom tell my problems, the way I felt… it was painful. My classmates teased me and called me Blöd Miranda, which is not a cute thing. What could have I done? Nothing. That's why I didn't trust people and locked myself in my flat, trying to understand what life asked me or why I was born. I got so depressed…", she stopped, laughing at herself. "I worked just because I needed money to live, but I would have spent all my days lying in my bed, crying and drinking wine. Then, one wonderful day, I found my beloved clock, Allen-kun and Lenalee-chan came to recover the Innocence in it and I became an Exorcist."
Krory blinked: it was quite a depressing story and he couldn't help, but understand her pain perfectly. "I think that if we met when we were children, then, we would have never felt so alone."
The woman smiled a little. To meet him when he was younger… to have a friend. A real friend. "You are right. We probably wouldn't be Exorcists."
"I guess I would have fallen in love with you and, by now, we would be married with children", he blushed as he told her such romantic things. 'Wait, Arystar… you could scare her and… hey! Are you talking about love with a woman who's not Eliade?!' He wondered what was going on.
Miranda gulped, but started laughing. "I would be a Baroness, toll! It would have been a great lovestory!"
"The greatest…", Krory stopped laughing and looked at her. He didn't know her a lot, but he couldn't stop fancying their imaginary life together. He would have liked to tell her that it wasn't too late to start something, but he felt like running. And betraying his Eliade. "Hey, Miranda? Wanna play chess with me?"
The woman, who'd got lost in his black eyes, was brought back to reality and quickly shook her curls. "I can't. You would win easily and it wouldn't be fun anymore. Why don't you ask Bookman? He was playing with you before that Akuma attacked us."
Krory sighed. "He was keen on Lenalee's Innocence and he was quite upset since he lost. I guess he's got some pride to defend."
Miranda chuckled as she stood up to walk away and let him alone, but she started falling down. She blinked when she felt two arms wrapping her figure and lifting her. "Krory-san?"
The man smiled and gently put her on the green sofa. "You're exhausted, aren't you?"
She blushed and looked away. It had been short, but she'd enjoyed it. "D-don't worry. It's okay, really. I just have to rest a little… I think…"
Krory grabbed his handkerchief and walked to the tap of cold water. He soaked it and then he put it on Miranda's eyes. His hand moved by itself, stroking her cheek lightly. "I won't tell you to sleep since you're not allowed to, but you can lean your head on my shoulder and relax."
Miranda gulped. He was kind, probably the kindest man she'd ever met. 'I wish I was born in Romania… even if I don't know why.' She grabbed his arm and did what he suggested her. "When I stop this Time Record the sailors will die and your bodies will cover with wounds again. I am sorry… I am sorry…"
Krory smiled and caressed her hair, again without thinking of what he was doing. It was like his body was moving on its own. "Shht… don't say these things. I've never met such an useful woman, Miranda. We would already been dead if you weren't here."
Miranda turned her head, even if she couldn't see him. "Krory-san… thank you."
The man was about to kiss her forehead, when the door opened and Lavi and Lenalee walked in. He grinned and she blushed, stammering something that looked like an apology.
"Well done, Krorykins!" Lavi gave him thumbs up and then patted him on the back.
"D-don't misunderstand everything! She's tired and I am helping her… really!" Krory blushed as Miranda let his arm go. "We're friends."
The woman couldn't help, but smile. Friends… she actually wanted to be his friend and now he'd said it. Was destiny starting to like her? She pressed her lips on his cheek, lovingly. "Thank you, again. Now… why don't you sleep a little? I bet you're tired as well."
Krory scratched the back of his head. "Y-yeah. Not as you, though. Well, I guess I'm having a shower, then", he stood up and looked at his two fellow Exorcists. "I'm leaving miss Lotto to you. Take care of her."
Miranda pouted. "Don't call me like that."
Krory laughed along with Lavi and Lenalee, then walked towards the bathroom. Miranda Lotto. He felt his heart exploding in his chest. He'd enjoyed every little moment they had spent that morning, from her hair shining in the sunlight to the soft sensation of her lips on his skin. He threw his clothes on the floor and opened the hot water tap. He waited a few seconds before being hit by that relaxing shoot. He leaned his hands on the wall in front of him, closing his eyes. 'Eliade… I wish you could tell me why I feel this way… this odd, yet satisfied way. I could never forget you, but… I am so sorry that you can't even imagine it… but I'm happy I found someone who looks like me and can understand me… we both deserve a friend. Definitely.' He didn't know why he was crying. Was it for Eliade or was it for Miranda? However, he couldn't help, but look forward the moment their eyes would have met again. 'I should hurry up and go back to the Exorcists' room…'
End of chapter one.
A/N: new long fic XD This time I'm writing something more fluffy and without sexual implications, er… can't say whether it's good or not, actually. However! I hope I can finish this as well! Reviews are loved. Tynuccia.