"Near, I've got a new case that you may want to look in on." Halle held the manilla folder in her hand, waiving the enevlope at the sitting figure. Near didn't bother to look up, his response falling apathetically from his lips.
"Well, what exactly is going on Halle? I don't have time for petty cases." He continued placing his robots in a line, every so often shifting one to the left or right. Halle quirked her eyebrow, dismissing that statement, and relayed the information to the top detective.
"This boy, well, young man really, has killed people in broad daylight, and noones reported him. Even the cops aren't doing anything about it."
"Ok, so a vigilante? That isn't really our problem, Linder."
"Well, that's not just it. He has a group who helps him, and they all have weapons of some sort. I'm assuming this boy's the leader. He always attacks first, and to my spies, the victims are random.
They had no enimes, and the only thing they had in common was that recently one of their loved ones had died. And, Near? The kid, well his weapon is strange. All of there weapons are, one has a huge hammer, the other has some kind of katana, or nodachi. But, Allen, the kid, his arm distorts into a monstrous appendage. And thats his weapon.
"A group of vigilantes who kill random people in broad daylight using various means. And none of this is reported. This is something for normal detectives. Why do you think I'd be interested in a case like this? Sure, it's interesting but, I am not that curi-"
"He may be linked to Mello's death, Near." Halle interuppted Near, finally breaking his gaze from Optimus Prime.
"That's why I need you to go find out what you can, you need to be the one to catch him see why he's doing this. I know your still hurt about Mello. But sitting here and playing with those blasted dolls is not going to help anything." Halle grabbed Near under his arms, tugging him up, making him stand. Near's legs wobbled, unsure of the new burden, but Near took a shaky step, looking determined.
Alright. What do I do?"
~~(-.-)~(-.-)~~
"Oi~ Look Yuu-chan! Komui just brought him in! He's a new scientist! Don't he look like Moyashi!" Lavi bounced around the white-haired recruit eccstatically, tugging at the shorter boy's sleeve, pulling him to sit at his table.
"Baka Usagi, why do you bring trash to my table? I don't want to sit next to you and Moyashi, let alone some fucking baka Seppen." Kanda said grumpily. However, he didn't reach for Mugen, which Lavi took for vauge acceptence, and plopped the boy down, sitting beiside him. Near puffed up,
If I don't make myself known now, the won't respect me. Thus I wont get any information.
"Usagi? Moyashi? Seppen? Majinamitene! Baka ja nai! I'm not a 'snowflake', nor ignorent of the Japanese you have just my name isn't seppen, it's Near" Near smiled softly, glad his work on the Kira case had sharpened his language skills, and that it could be used to assert his place.
As he'd seen it, he was lucky to be sitting with 'exorcists' and not with other scientists, or 'finders'. Kanda looked at Lavi at Near's outburst, and just nodded slightly, as if decideing something between them.
"YES! Do you know what that means? Oh hey! It's. ALLEN!" Lavi called the startled lookin teen over from the food line, waving at him to sit down, to meet the new scientist.
..
...
I jumped, startled by the insistant yelling. I looked around my stack of food, the tower of plates and bowls shaking from my sudden movement. I noticed a young scientist sitting next to Lavi, hair whiter than my own silver, his frame small and unsure. He was sitting across from Kanda, and next to Lavi, the redhead standing on his seat, waving his arms above his head.
As if I didn't hear him..hmm. the kid must be special, Kanda hasn't killed him yet. Well I guess he's sort of cute, so maybe thats why..
"Allen~, hyaku! Come sit across from this little guy!" Lavi pointed at the boy, the bright eyed boy shrinking away from the attention. I walked slowly, balancing my food, and sat next to Kanda, offering my now free hand to the shy new recruit.
"Hi, I'm Allen, and you are?" The boy smiled slightly and grabbed my hand, shaking it politely, if not in slightly awkward fashion.
"Hi. I'm Near, it's nice to me-"
"This is Seppen-chan! Isn't that cute~! Yuu-chan picked it out! He does look like a little snowflake, eh moyashi-chan? Isn't he kawaii?" Lavi hugged the shocked boy, holding him awkwardly around our still joined hands, squeezing his ribs and rubbing his red hair obnoxiously into his neck.
Oh, poor boy. Lavi's taken a liking to him. And Kanda even talked to him..I guess he's gonna be around us for a while.
I smiled reassuringly to the boy, unlatching my hand and bringing it to my fork, shoveling in my assorted food. Near looked somewhat appaled at my eating habits, to surprised to even fight Lavi off. Lavi laughed at his expression and released him from his death hug. Lavi patted him on his back and chuckled agin.
"You'll get used to Moyashi-chan's appetite, his innocence is parasitic, so he's gotta eat a lot! I'm sorta jealous actually..if I ate that much I'd get so fat!" Lavi looked longingly at me, his eyes traveling from my full mouth, to my emptying plates, then shifting to my flat stomach.
"You know thaf I frain evy day." I struggled to say around chewing, defending my eating habits. It wasn't the first time Lavi envied or made fun of me for it.
~~(-.-)~(-.-)~~
This is the man..teenager, that is suspected of killing Mello? Of killing tens and twenties of people in broad daylight? Well, Halle said he's picking people randomly, that he has no reason to kill them..myabe he's insane. But he's sitting here having an intelligent conversation with his friends. And these must be the ones helping him. But the hammer isn't big, just too small to kill anything..The samurai wanna-be is the only one emmiting any sort of vehemenence..
I watched the silver haired boy carefully, mentally taking in how he interacted, defending his eating habit, as atrocious as they were.
"Can I try that donut thing, I never had one, and Jerry closed the kit-"
"NO, touch it and I'll bite your hand off!" Allen interrupted, his mouth snapping around the space above the donut, where Lavi's hand had been. "I'll do it! This is the only thing I've eaten all day, and it's almost noon! Besides we won't be able to eat again after our mission. Komui says there's some Innocence in Dublin. And the akuma there are getting numerous. We'll have to leave soon."
Akuma? Demons, mission.. Innocence? I'm supposed to know what all this means already. I can't just ask them... I'll have to go along with them..but..It seems scientists don't go on missions, only finders and exorcists. I shouldv'e pretended to be a finder. But they barely believed I was a scientist from the American Branch, I can't seem clueless. What can I ask that would be okay for a newcomer, that will help.
"Allen..will you show me to my room? I will get lost for sure." I smiled slightly at him, knowing this would prompt him to walk alone with me.
Maybe I could get him to say something that will reveal more about these 'Akumas'. Allen rubbed his head, looking sheepish.
"Well, actually..I need help to find my own room sometimes. Lenalee might be able to help you, she's probably with Komui in preparation for the upcoming mission. Come on, I'll introduce you guys." Allen stood up, taking his plates with him. I followed him, waving at the other exorcist, who were wispering conspiratorily together. Lavi winked over Kanda's head and gave me a thumbs up sign.
That can't be good..
~~(-.-)~(-.-)~~
Near and Allen wandered down the hall, going left, then right, Near memorizing the tricky turns and twists. Allen's face was srunched in thought, having arrived at an intersection of hallways, his cheeks flushing slightly.
"I think we turn left here...or maybe it was right..no we definately go left!" Allen's smile was wide, stretching across to his ears and he turned left confidently, leading a somewhat hesitant Near along with him. Near filled away the boy's absentminded-ness away, keeping the information for future reference.
Allen kept walking, talking over his shoulder to his new-found friend. "You're gonna love Lenalee, she's very friendly and helpful. She'll show us to our rooms..I hope it's not too much of a bother for her to show me again..this is the third time this week." Allen rubbed the back of is head in an endearing gesture, and walked promptly into an opening door.
"Oh! I'm so sorry Allen! You really should watch where you're going! But.." A dark haired girl helped Allen up, pulling him gently up. Lenalee smiled brightly at Near, her exuberant attitude almost as loud as Lavi's. "I can see why you were distracted! Kawaii! Who is he?" Lenalee waved at him, in a friendly manner, and looked toward Allen expectantly.
"That's Near. He's a new scientist from America. Hey, I never asked, but are you from Britain originally? I heard your accent earlier." Allen smiled knowingly, as Lenalee dragged them into Komui's office. "Ha! I told you it was left!"
He remembered my name, and noticed my accent, but he's lost his way to his own room more than once just this week. So he's people oriented. How is he a killer? He's gotta be partially disabled, no right minded criminal could be so guilt free.
I followed the two exorcists into the room, eyeing the copious amounts of paperwork on the floor, a thin trail of floor peeking out from under, leading to a couch, a desk and a man with dark hair.
"HI, Near! I see you met Allen, and little Lenalee! You'll be working for me now! I'm Komui!" The man pushed up his glasses, smiling darkly and gestured to the couch in front of his desk. "Sit! I'll brief you on your expected job today, then Lenalee can show you and Allen to your rooms." I walked hesitantly to the couch, sitting down stiffly, afraid of the tasks in front of me.
What will I be expected to already know? What should I not know?
Komui handed me a thick envelope, and prompted me to open it. Inside were pictures of little star-like white dots, a clown-like man, and a golden cube. I looked up, confused.
What? What is all of this?
"Your supervisor called me a little while ago, she said you were fairly new, even over there. And that I should give you the basic information, and there it is!" Komui came around to the other side of his desk, pointing to the pictures and their respective information. "Here's the Millenium Earl! He is the one creating the Akuma, trying to destroy humanity, and these," Komui's long finger left the clown-man, and drifted over to the round, deforemed gray things.
"Are the Akuma he creates, and these people are Noahs. They are the original superhuman, the ones from the flood of Noah. I am sure you've heard of it. And Innocence is what we, exorcists are trying to protect."
Komui drifted from the picture of the gray humans, to the little stars. "This is the source of power the Millenium Earl is after, he's trying to destroy it, so that we can't use it against him. Now this is very basic, but there is more information in these files. You may take the day to check it out. Lenalee, could you please escort them?" Komui straightened up, I followed shortly after, closing the folder as I stood. Lenalee grabbed my elbow and dragged me out the door, her other hand latched around Allen's wrist.
Oh geeze, I don't think I'm going to like her grabbing me all the time.
I smiled over my shoulder at Komui, only to be met with a quiet, thoughtful look in his eyes.
such a personality flip. Are they all crazy here? I was certainly begining to think so.
I looked at Near, his face slightly panicked as Lenalee talked excitedly between us.
Poor kid, he'll need some time to recover from this. I laughed at his face, and Lenalee's constant questioning. Near's just responded to each of her questions with a shake of his head, his face flushed slightly from the embarresing inquisition.
"So your from America? But England originally?" Lenalee didn't even wait for the confirming nod before pushing on. "I'm from China originally, but I don't really remember very much, I was taken when I was little, once they figured out I was an Innocence host. Maybe Komui remebers some, if your interested."
Lenalee smiled, then outbursted again from Near's slightly confused look. "Yeah! Komui's my older brother! He came here to be with me, isn't that sweet? OH, here we are. Allen this is your room. And Near, make sure you don't forget where it is. you might need to find your way here!" I looked to her, shocked at the implication in her words.
Did she mean, so he can 'visit' me?
I blushed slightly at the thought, and tried to ignore it. Near looked at my face though, and immediatly knew my distress, covering for me instantly.
"Of course! He might need my help to find his room, just in case you or the others aren't around to help him find it!" Near said suredly, and nodded towards me.
Thank goodness, he's smart. Maybe I'll actually be able to talk to him. Even though Lavi's bookman's apprentice, He isn't one for 'intelligent conversations'.
Lenalee smiled beatifically, crossing her arms. "Nope, actually I was hoping you'd guys get together. I mean, really, you know how much Lou Fa would pay to see Allen kissing someone that looks just like him, just more uke-ish!" I hit my forehead with my palm.
Geeze, Near just tried to save you, and you're admitting to selling pictures of me and Near, if we ever..
"What does uke mean?" I asked, looking at a blushing Near.
I blushed.
He has a Japanese friend! Why did he not know that? And why ask her now?
Lenalee smiled at him then pointed to his door.
"Looks like Near already knows! Aww, do you read doujinshi? Oh, look at your face! You SO do! Allen go get ready for our mission, I need to take Near to his room. You know, I would've told you to ask Kanda, but, Near's so much cuter, you should just ask him later. But don't ask Kanda, I swear he won't tell you, and will more than likely kill you for asking." I watched Allen go into his room, looking to me, with pity in his face.
Ya, because I'm alone with her now, and when you get back..We'll have an.. interesting conversation. The door shut, the only sane person left in the hallway now me, an insistant Lenalee hanging on my arm.
"You and Lavi would make a good couple. Your both *annoying* interesting." Lenalee continued down the hall, her laughter floating around us.
"I really hope you don't think so. Kanda and Lavi are already together. And I'm pretty sure Lavi only swings one way." She laughed again at my expression, tugging me relentlessly to another door, not too far from Allen's.
"Ya, I know. Odd couple right? But they work well together. Lavi balances Kanda quite well." The chinese girl gestured grandly to the door in front of them.
"Here's your room! I'd love to help you unpack, but I need to go get ready myself." She left quickly leaving me infront of a big door, my thoughts churning. Pushing open the door, I noticed my bags already on the bed, a small window letting in some afternoon light. I plopped down on my bed, relishing in the soft downy covers.
..
...
