Little Terror
AN: Okay so this is my second attempt at a 07-Ghost fic since the other one isn't really working out for all parties involved. This is just a oneshot since all of my long fics are looooong and would continue to lengthen until I actually found a way to end them. Which is highly unlikely since I'm not all that good at ending stuff. Anyway, Enjoy!
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Lights filtered from the glass ceiling, illuminating the church somewhat dimly. The crystals hanging by the overhead were crystals that stored light so that during the night, there would still be luminance in the church. The people streamed about, doing whatever they set out to do: doing the laundry, cleaning or something else. The pristine white walls of the church which had served as home for the homeless and sanctuary for those hunted, were as glorious as ever, standing imposingly but warmly over its inhabitants.
Labrador finds it quite peaceful. He tended to his plants in the garden, humming gently himself all the while. There had been a new shipment of flowers from another district that had exotic plants and he couldn't wait to hear their stories. He tended to them carefully, as he knew that some of these plants had some unusual effects to the people inhaling their spores. The last time Frau had gone sniffing one of the more unusual ones, he had turned into a girl. (Labrador didn't know how that had affect the reincarnated sky pirate, but it had been very interesting.) The shipper had told him that different effects happened to different people and it would be ill advised to let anyone even merely get near the flowers. The flowers had told him to be extra careful today, for some reason as well, but they also said that it wasn't going to be awful.
Then he heard a sneeze.
Oh.
Then another.
"Ah, Teito?"
The young man was crouching behind tall bushes of green as if hiding from something. His eyes were darting everywhere and his ears were twitching as if to catch sounds.
"Ah, uhm... Good morning..?" Teito replies sheepishly as he sat up, leaves falling from his head.
Labrador laughs softly, slightly eying the flower bed Teito had fallen in, in the corner of his eye. Oh dear.
"Be careful." He reprimands with a smile. Teito must have realized what he was pertaining to as he instantly apologized.
"Ah, yeah. I'm sorry for that. Is there—"
"Teito-kun! There you are! You have to come with us!" Sister Rosalie calls out cheerily, interrupting whatever it was Teito was about to offer. "We haven't washed your—"
Teito flinched, drowning out the sister's last word with a loud "Sorry!" Labrador could only wonder why. The brunette warily glanced at the nun and seemed to make a decision. "I'll see you later, Labrador-san." Then he ran.
Labrador chuckles.
People were so filled with energy that he was almost jealous.
He was slightly concerned about the spores though.
Hakuren stretched his upper extremities as he headed back towards the dorms. He wasn't particularly thrilled about doing random helpings of chores from everywhere around the church, but as long as he could help, he would. It made him distinctive from his father. He yawned and entered the room almost on automatic—
Only to be met with a pair of startlingly large green eyes. On a child that couldn't be older than five. What...
"Teito!?"
"Te-i-to?" The child who looked remarkably like Teito mirrored. "Wer ist das?"
Hakuren froze. What language was that?
"Wo bin ich? Wissen Sie, wo Akkun oder Kakkun ist? Vater sagte mir, sie zu finden, wenn ich verloren." The child said, curiously.
"H-hold on. Do you understand me?" Hakuren said slowly. The language wasn't entirely unfamiliar to him, but he couldn't place where he had heard it before. It was very odd.
"Ah! You... are from Bars-burg?" The child replied with surprising eloquence. "I'm really sorry. I should know better than speak another language to someone who can't understand... Father would scold me! You won't tell right?"
"I won't." He promised while somewhat off-balanced. Then he realized with just a little bit of awe that the kid knew how to speak more than just one language. He himself had learned only when he had started training to be a bishop.
"What's your name, big brother?"
"Hakuren Oak. You?" He asked gently, kneeling down to the child's level.
"Tiashe! Wahreit Tiashe—oh whoops. Dad told me to not tell." Tiashe smiled apologetically.
"You father? Do you know where he is?"
"He's probably in the pala—No. I don't know." Tiashe had cut his sentence off again. Pala—? Palace!? It was doubtful that the child was pertaining to the Hohburg Fort but there were no palaces that were currently in use that were called palaces.
"Micchan? Can you tell where father is?" The kid asked as he looked at the back of his right hand. "Huh. Maybe Micchan's asleep...? But he's never slept on me before."
"Micchan?" Hakuren inquired. "Who is she?"
"He." Tiashe huffily corrected then whispers conspiratorially. "He's my guardian angel!"
Hakuren laughed. Everyone believed that they had guardian angels when they were little, right?
"Do you know how you got here? In this room?"
"Nope!" Tiashe said brightly. "Where is here anyway?"
"We're in the 7th district church."
"Really? Then I've been here before. Once. I think." The little brunet said excitedly them feel silent for a moment. "Hey, big brother?"
Hakuren smiled. "Yes?"
"Can you show me around?"
"Can you wait until tomorrow? Big brother did something tiring today."
"Then can we eat? I'm hungry. Do you have any chocolate?"
"Uh, no. But I think if we head to the kitchens there would be some food there."
"Food!" Tiashe cheered. He hadn't eaten either now that he thought about it.
"Shall we go?"
"Un!"
He stood up and took the child's hand and led him to the kitchen.
.
.
.
.
.
"Eyeballs?" Tiashe said in awe.
"Eyefish." Hakuren corrected with emphasis in the fish part. They had gone to an empty and hard to see corner of the cafeteria. Tiashe had insisted on being hidden from prying eyes—though not in the same wording—fuelling Hakuren's suspicions. There was a small alcove hidden behind the tapestry and since food was placed everywhere were tables were set, Hakuren knew that it wasn't empty. It was a place for both eating and discussing private matters, after all, being of more use to the bishops than anyone else. "There's no one to cook for us though, so well have to settle with edible flowers."
"Flowers?" Tiashe asked, even more awed. "You eat flowers? Do you eat grass too?"
Hakuren chuckled. The kid was so adorable. "Yes, and no. I thought you've been here before. You should know shouldn't you?"
"But I was still small then!" He replied with stuffed cheeks, eating after every word. He seemed really hungry.
"You're still small now."
"No I'm not! I'm a grown up now! Dad said if I study well, I'll make a good prin—uh—priest!"
"You want to become a bishop?"
"Nope! I'll take Dad's title someday."
"Title?"
Tiashe blinked, momentarily startled as he visibly ran through excuses. "Uh..." He looked momentarily blindsided. "It's a joke my dad used to say. He says his work makes him feels very important. He's a— an— innkeeper you see. I'll be the best innkeeper man when father retires!"
"Which inn is it? I may have hear of it from somewhere." Hakuren fished.
"The one in the fifth district called Runstïd."
Hakuren knew for a fact that there was no inn called Runstid there.
He'd been lying so blatantly Hakuren didn't even think of it. Cunning little kid. Hakuren really could see children as manipulative little hellions. He was like that when he was younger too—hiding under the façade of cuteness and innocence whilst messing around with the heads of the gullible adults. Ah, what evils the society brings upon the children who have enough brains to outwit lesser beings…
"You're good at lying, but you've been slipping a lot." Hakuren observed.
Tiashe still looked clueless not even his eyes betrayed him, but his hands were playing with the hem of his sleeve. "Nope! I'm not lying."
"You can stop the charade now, young lord."
"Shhh! Don't say it out loud!" He said in an exaggerated whisper, completely blowing his cover. Hakuren didn't really plan what he would have said further if the little brat hadn't interrupted him, but oh well.
"Dad said I have to not tell no matter what! Well, except to Akkun and the others though. Though they already know since they were my guards for as long as I can remember…"
"Did anyone teach you how to lie?"
Tiashe's eye's twinkled mischievously. "Micchan did."
"Your guardian angel taught you how to lie?" Hakuren raised a skeptic eyebrow. "Then he's a very naughty angel."
"Ro-chan says the same! Micchan and Ro-chan always fights." Tiashe says sulkily. "Micchan doesn't like rules." Tiashe had lowered his voice as if to mimic the angel. "He said that he's above all mortal laws or something like that and Ro-chan always scolds him."
"Ro-chan? Fights?"
Tiashe blinked. "You don't know? I thought all the clergy knew Ro-chan?"
"What does your father call him, then?" Hakuren
"She." Tiashe corrects him again. "Umm… Profe?"
Hakuren's brows furrowed. "One of the Seven Ghosts?" It couldn't be, could it?
Tiashe looked at him oddly. Father had told him not to tell anyone of the existence of the Seven Ghosts since they were widely seen as just myths and the bad guy would be able to find them if anyone in the wrong side would hear of things, even if they were just hearsay. "Even I know that they're just stories. She said she was named after the Ghost, I'm not quite sure why though."
Hakuren fell silent and decided to change to the topic. The little kid didn't talk like a little kid, except for all the cutesy nicknames.
"So whose family do you belong to?"
Tiashe titled his head and grinned. "Well, why would I tell?"
"You can tell me so I can take you back to them." Hakuren said patiently.
Tiashe hummed then knocked the back of his hand. "Micchan, are you still asleep?" He was completely focused on the back of his palm, nudging the archangel awake as his father taught him.
A red orb appeared like an eye opening from sleep on the back of his hand, its crimson hue startled Hakuren.
Mikhail…?
Mikhail.
Mikhail!
"You're awake! Finally!"
I am sorry for not responding immediately, master. A disembodied voice floated from nowhere and everywhere at the same time. What do you require of me?
Hakuren was gaping. Tiashe? Mikhail? Then it all clicked in into place and all his history lessons suddenly filled out all the missing information he neglected. Wahreit Tiashe Raggs had been the only heir of the Kingdom of Raggs, a child from a concubine but had died on his seventh birthday. The Eye of Mikhail had been a treasure from the fallen kingdom, which had been lost during the war.
How had Tiashe survived? Then Hakuren backtracked. If Tiashe had been seven when he died, which was less than a year from the war, then Tiashe would have been around seventeen now.
"Can you look for father for me?" Tiashe requested politely.
You are looking for the person who spawned you?
Hakuren felt a hysterical laugh bubble from his throat then he felt a sharp gaze from somewhere he couldn't pinpoint. If he was right, then Tiashe was looking for a dead man. What would he do?
Do you wish for me to dispose of this mortal, master? He could just hear the condescendence dripping from the words.
Tiashe looked scandalized. "No! No disposing. He's my friend, Micchan. I would be very sad if you did something to him." He said with surprising finality.
As you wish.
"Have you found father yet?" Tiashe asked somewhat impatiently.
Mikhail was momentarily silent. What year is it, master?
Tiashe told him.
"Are you sure?" Hakuren interrupted. "It isn't."
A floating circular bone-ish framed red screen floated from where the gem was situated and Tiashe looked like he actually knew how to use it. His face became grim as he looked at the blank map.
"Father's gone, isn't he?" Tiashe inhaled sharply then his face became disturbingly blank. Images were starting to flash behind his eyelids and he bore them with resolve. "How about mother?"
The screen blinked once and there was a hollow black dot in the map.
"Specifically."
There seems to be some form of interference that prevents me from searching from her further, but it is quite certain that she is somewhere in the First District.
Tiashe exhaled slowly. Hakuren felt as if the child was much too mature in handling the situation, as if he was somehow older, but not really. It was so confusing! It seemed like he had already been forgotten by the child, but he didn't really mind. It must be traumatizing to just wake up somewhere so foreign.
"Self-diagnosis." Tiashe requested quietly.
Al vital signs clear. Heartbeat steady. No illnesses as of present. Age: Seventeen years, currently regressed to nine years. Memory seal by the binder unraveled.
Seventeen? Hakuren thought. Teito was seventeen and Tiashe looked absurdly like him.
"Father had sealed my memories? Did Dad order him to do it? What of the memories after the war?"
He had. Although, they will return in due time. Mikhail reassured. They're merely there because nothing has triggered them yet.
"Trigger them." Tiashe said simply, his eyes focused on the red display. Hakuren almost protested.
It might result to loss of consciousness.
"It doesn't matter." He dismissed. "Trigger them."
Your wish is my command.
Everything came back to him.
Then black.
.
.
Tiashe groaned.
"You're awake, brat." A familiar voice said irritatingly. It made him want to punch something.
Tiashe frowned. That was unusual. When had he ever wanted to punch anybody? He opened his eyes to be greeted by the sight of a softly colored lilac ceiling. He turned his head for a bit and saw three familiar figures.
"Who are you?" Tiashe blurted out. He hadn't been expecting to wake up again.
The blonde's eye's narrowed. Frau. His name was Frau. How did he know that?
"Teito-kun?" The one with glasses asked tentatively. "Do you know who we are?"
"Mein name ist Teito nicht." Tiashe said stubbornly in his native tongue. He didn't quite mind if he was scolded for using a language they weren't familiar with, but conceded. "Aber Sie konnen mich so zu nennen."
"What did he say?" Frau not-so-whispered.
"He said his name wasn't Teito." Castor frowned. "Though we can call him that."
"That's—"
"Frau. Castor. Labrador." Then he paused and blinked. "Zehel. Fest. Profe."
Frau had almost violently demanded to know how he knew that without them telling him but he was beaten to it.
"How did you know that?" Castor asked gently, unwilling to startle the now eight year old teenager.
"Mikhail told me." Tiashe admitted. It was odd. He felt like he was a mixture of both Tiashe and Teito since he remembered all of his memories but they felt like they belonged to two different people. There were more prominent memories of Tiashe in his head though he wasn't quite sure why.
"Mikhail?" Eyebrows climbed.
Would you do the honors?
The red orb glittered behind his hand.
Three of the ghosts? Master, would you like me to—
"Micchan!" Tiashe scolded. "What have I told you about threatening people?"
To do otherwise.
"Exactly. And what are you doing now?"
There was a disembodied sigh and Castor had to restrain his ever growing amusement.
"That's better."
"So mind explaining what's happening here, brat?"
o-o-o-o-o-o-o
I'll stop here. *grins evilly*
German Translations:
"Wer ist das" -Who are you
"Wo bin ich? Wissen Sie, wo Akkun oder Kakkun ist? Vater sagte mir, sie zu finden, wenn ich verloren." - Where am I? Do you know where Akkun or Kakkun is? Father told me to find them when I'm lost.