Hey there! Hi, I'm Yami and this is my first story! Well, the first I translate from Italian to English… so please, be clement! .
So, first disclaimer: I don't own -man and its characters, I only own the idea of this story and the character of Angelica.
So, enjoy and please review!
VELVET RIBBONS & FIERY HAMMERS
CHAPTER 1 - Meeting: fate or chance?
-Lavi, for the umpteenth time: we got lost! -
Lenalee was dragging along the road lined with cobblestones beside his companion, with his arms folded clear sign of nervousness.
-Lenalee, it is impossible! This town is so tiny, we cannot be lost! -
Lavi looked around sulking, coming out from another alley and finding himself in the central square of the village.
-Maybe, but all the roads that we cross take us back to the starting point. And all because men never want to ask for directions! -
-Oh, of course! Now let's make it a matter of sex difference! You men here, you men there ... I will not have wanted to ask for directions, but it is not my fault only if we are in this mess! Maybe because you women do not have sense of direction? -
His sarcastic answer made her even more angry.
She dropped on one of the benches at the edge of the square, snorting loudly.
He did the same shortly after.
They stayed like that for a few minutes, sullen and without speaking.
Lavi reorganized the ideas: so, they had been sent in that microscopic village (but full of damned intricate alleyways which looked all the same!) to investigate a strange supernatural phenomenon, to see if it was Innocence or not.
Once they arrived at the village, however, they were irretrievably lost in the maze of narrow streets, trying in vain to reach their destination.
A loud chatter accompanied by a loud footsteps sound took him away from his thoughts.
A group of boys and girls in school uniform came out of a high building in Victorian style.
And then he remembered that in that insignificant town the only source of pride was having one of the best colleges in the region.
This time it was Lenalee to get him back to reality, clearing her throat and noting calmly:
-Okay, we had a bad start. Now we start all over again and ask directions, okay? -
Lavi nodded with distant expression.
He was listening, but something had caught his attention:
among all the students who were laughing and joking with friends, there was a girl who was looking around nervously, as if she felt uncomfortable, and soon left the group headed to the center of the square.
But it was not her just to put him on alert: they were the companions who followed her a short distance away that worried him.
They were too far away to hear what they were saying, but he was pretty sure they were teasing her for some reason.
The girl seemed obviously in difficulty, kept her head down and clutching some books to her chest as she walked.
At one point one of those bullies shoved her causing her to fall on her knees, books scattered on the ground of the square.
Lavi heard them laugh then he saw them leave.
She stayed there for a while, then she leaned forward to pick up her books from the ground.
Before he knew it, Lavi found himself next to her, picked it up a little book and handed it over.
She looked puzzled, then smiled shyly standing up and reaching out a hand to take the book.
Muttered a "thank you" barely audible.
-No problem. Look, why were those guys teasing at you? -
Meanwhile, he heard behind him the footsteps of Lenalee approaching.
She shrugged, as if she did not care.
-Oh, now I'm used to. They do it every day. Make fun of me because I am an orphan. -
Lenalee wrinkled her nose.
-But it is a horrible thing! Being orphaned is not a reason to target a person! -
The girl in front of them tightened her grip on her books.
-Maybe for you, but here the orphans are not seen very well. The fact that I have no one, I do not have roots with anyone makes me different from others. And this is one of those places where diversity is hated above all else. -
The expression in her blue eyes was strong, despite the shyness that had flaunted before.
Lavi had listened carefully and heard something snap inside him.
That girl had no origin, did not know where she came from. She was an outcast, she was ... different.
Like him.
She seemed to realize only now the words she spoke and blushed slightly.
-I beg your pardon. I have never seen you here. Do you need help? -
Lenalee smiled brightly. Of course they needed help!
-Actually yes. Can you tell us where we can find the dance school? -
The girl's eyes widened and moved her sight from her to Lavi.
Then she murmured:
-You have come to see the piano? -
Lenalee looked at his companion before answering.
-Yeah, you know anything about it? -
The other recovered a little self-control and smiled.
-Excuse me, now I will explain everything. My name is Angelica, and I think to be the reason why you are here. –
Angelica led the two exorcists along the winding streets of the village, as she explained them:
-You see, I study at that school since I was a child, dancing is the only thing that gives me a little satisfaction, apart from reading. -
She stopped to make a loud sigh.
-But in this period something strange is going on: there is a piano in the classroom that we use to have music during the lessons. More or less all of us approach at it for some reason. But... -
She paused, as if weighing the words to say.
-But if it's me who go near it ... it starts to play alone. I do not even touch it, I do not even look at it. But it does so only with me, and it started to have some negative consequences. In short, it is a bit that even my companions avoid me. They are afraid of me, I heard them call me "witch" ... -
As she said this Lenalee glanced at Lavi.
There was a high probability that it was due to Innocence, and perhaps they even knew who the compatible was...
But they preferred to wait to speculate.
Meanwhile they had reached the dance school. It was a modest building, it seemed a simple brick house like all the others.
When they entered the classroom Angelica went straight to the other side of the room, where the piano was.
She turned to look at them and said:
-Here, I'll show you. -
She went back to look at the instrument and took a few steps forward.
Without warning, the piano began to play alone. It was awkward to see a show which keys are moved as driven by some kind of magic.
But as soon as the girl had taken a step back the music ceased, as if nothing had happened.
The exorcists came and examined the outside of the instrument. Nothing special, it was a simple piano a little scratched.
Then Lavi opened the soundboard.
At the bottom, under the countless strings stretched in that maniacal order of different lengths and thicknesses, they could see a faint greenish glow.
The boy reached out and tried to pass in the middle of the tangle of wires, but it was so thick that he could not insert a single finger.
Finally he decided that desperate times call for desperate measures.
He took his trusty hammer and with the handle helped remove some of the strings from their housing.
Angelica tried to stop him, but Lenalee smiled at her and told her to let him.
Lavi finally managed to reach out and grasp the source of light.
When he pulled his hand out of, the three of them came to a fragment of Innocence.
Angelica looked at it as if hypnotized, while the two exorcists smiled satisfied: a successful mission!
Suddenly they heard the sound of breaking glass and some akuma entered the classroom through the large windows.
Lenalee activated her Dark Boots and rushed immediately to the attack, while Lavi put the Innocence in the hands of a frightened Angelica, made her hide behind the piano and whispered:
-Stay here and do not move for any reason! -
The girl looked at him with wide eyes.
-But what are those?! -
He put his hand on her head and smiled at her reassuringly.
-We will explain everything, but now you have to stay here until I will tell you, okay? -
She nodded weakly, and saw him disappear from her sight.
The noises that came to her ears left to guess a violent confrontation and the sound of breaking glass and the thud on the wooden floor were the only things that overlooked roars and groans of pain.
Angelica found herself without realizing it with her eyes shut as she huddled against the piano hoping it would end soon.
Suddenly she felt a gust of hot breath on her face.
She narrowed her eyes and found herself face to face with one of those monsters.
That gray metallic looking body completely overhung her.
She stayed there, motionless, not knowing what to do.
Instinctively squeezed more grip on the shiny thing they found in the piano.
She felt the presence of her assailant become more and more insistent and squinted.
When she thought she was really over, she heard a roar.
She opened her eyes and saw a column of smoke rising to the ceiling from where the creature was before.
-Are you okay? It didn't hurt you, right? -
The redhead boy's voice caught her and shortly after she saw him appear from the gray blanket of steam brandishing what looked like a huge black hammer.
She found the minimum force to respond:
-I-I'm fine ... -
He gave her a grin.
-Very well! But now we have to move, this smoke is poisonous. -
He held out a hand and she grabbed it with her small and trembling one.
The young man helped her up and led her out of the building, holding her gently by the shoulders.
Angelica let him bring her meekly, keeping clutching the strange bright crystal.
When they were outside they met the girl with dark hair, who addressed Angelica a sweet smile when she saw her.
-Hey, Lenalee! Finally a mission ended in a decent way, huh?
We found the Innocence, we found the compatible, everything runs like clockwork for once! -
Lenalee shook her head.
-Calmly, Lavi. First of all we should give her an explanation, don't we? -
They both looked at Angelica, who stepped back with a worried expression.
-Yeah ... also because I believe that today we scared her enough! –
-So, let me understand: you are exorcists, some kind of priests, and fight against those things that we have seen before ... -
Angelica pointed with her chin the Innocence that she still had in her hands.
- ... With this? -
Lavi nodded.
-Yes, although of course the Innocence alone is not enough. We give the form of a weapon, and then we use it. -
He brushed with a hand his hammer, that now rested in its place.
-And why you have been telling me all these things? -
Lavi and Lenalee looked at each other.
-You see ... we believe you to be compatible with this Innocence, or the person who can use it. -
-So what we're trying to say is that ... we would like you to come with us. -
Angelica stood up and began to pace back and forth across the room.
-But why me? Well ... Me, the most useless person on earth ... it's me! -
Lavi walked over and took her hands, smiling sweetly.
-Just because others say so you do not have to believe so. You're the only one in the world who will be able to use this piece of Innocence ... this makes you very important, don't you think? -
The girl looked up, flushed, and looked at him in amazement.
She nodded weakly.
Lavi's smile widened and he let her hands.
-All right! So pack your things! We're leaving! By the way, when is the next train? -
Lenalee checked a sheet that they had taken at the station when they just arrived.
-The last train today ... there's not... we will have to wait until tomorrow night to get out of here.-
Lavi stared at her as if he had not understood what she had said.
Then he began to complain about how disorganized were the villages of the province and a thousand other things, accompanied by Lenalee retorting him that to not be polemic.
There followed a heated argument very similar to the one they had in the afternoon.
Angelica watched the debate with a smile, not daring to intervene.
Who knows, maybe that guy, Lavi was right.
Maybe she was really special. Different ... but in a positive way.
Yes, she would go with them, no doubt.
It was all her life that she hoped to get out of that place.
Now she had found someone who wanted her, someone who judged her important.
Might as well groped.
