He couldn't deny the attraction he felt towards her. It was… hard to ignore. He tried to find some way to distract himself from her, be it indulging in fine wine, gambling more often, or seeking the company of random women he'd meet just about anywhere. He didn't know why he couldn't push her out of his thoughts. She was just another woman after all, and whenever he got tired of one, he'd simply give his attention to another. But… it seemed that even a notorious womaniser such as himself could find himself powerless when it comes to affairs of his heart. He couldn't stop such feelings towards her from developing.
Yes, General Cross Marian has it bad for Klaud Nine.
Why Klaud Nine of all women? She wasn't that beautiful. Okay, she had some attractive features here and there. But still, what's with the damn monkey that hung around her? Cross certainly wasn't fond of that creature – he didn't care if it was an Innocence – and the feeling was mutual. The monkey would hiss at him fiercely, or worse, try to bite him, every time he was within two feet of Klaud. Well, alright, so there were times when he did try to hit on Klaud, but that was just Cross being himself. That was no reason for that sorry excuse of a pet to turn savage towards him.
Back to Klaud. What was so damn attractive about her anyway? She was strong, definitely, being an Exorcist General after all. She had wit and sarcasm, with the snappy replies he received whenever he tried to flirt with her. And yeah, he admired her determined and headstrong attitude. Plus, she knew how to mind her own business, seeing as she never chided him for going MIA for months and then suddenly reappearing again out of nowhere. In fact, she didn't seem to care pretty much whatever he did or got himself into.
So, why, why was he so interested in her?!
And then it hit him. Oh yeah, he remembered why.
Cross Marian prided on his womanising skills, even more than his skills as an Exorcist. The rumours of him being the best lover among women were justified. His magnetic ability to attract women was undeniable; men envied him and women dreamt of being the next one he gave his undivided attention to. Those in the Black Order scowled at his notorious reputation, saying that it soiled the good name of an organisation backed by the Vatican. But did Cross care? Hell, no.
It was such a long time ago, but for Cross, it wasn't long enough for him to forget.
"General Cross, this is Klaud Nine. She has just been elevated into General rank as well." The masked Exorcist opened an eye lazily to study this new General being introduced. 'Ah, a lady eh? Not bad, she has a great figure,' Cross thought as he smirked inwardly, eyeing Klaud Nine up and down. He suavely took Klaud's hand and brought it to his lips.
"A pleasure to meet someone so strong, and still so ravishing to the eyes," he expertly purred. But just as he was about to kiss her hand, she withdrew it back to her side.
Klaud raised an eyebrow. "We shall see whether this will truly turn out to be a pleasure, General Cross." And with a wave of her hand, she dismissed herself and left the room. Cross looked as though he had been slapped. A woman had rejected his advances? This wasn't possible! Even the most devoted of nuns in the church always gave in to his flirtations (of course, he never went as far to bed these women, seeing as they were deeply devout).
He quickly recovered his composure, and went after Klaud. She hadn't walk very far, and in no time, he caught up with her.
"Why the blatant hostility? This is our first time meeting each other. Perhaps you just need to get to know me better," he said with a smile. "We can get to know each other more… say, over a glass of wine?" He held out a hand towards her like a gentleman.
Klaud did not meet his eyes. "General Cross… you degrade all who share my gender. I certainly don't like it." Instead of walking away from him, she stepped forward. "My guess is that you have a bad experience with a woman, and that's why you so love to take advantage of them." She stared him straight in the eye, a grim look on her face.
"Treat them like toys if you will, General Cross. But through this…" she turned on her heel to leave. "…you'll be the one who gets hurt in the end."
Cross tried not to fume. 'How dare she? Suggest that he, of all people, had a bad experience with a woman? Bah!'
But then, he trembled, if only slightly. 'How… how did she see through him so quickly?'
Cross lit up another cigarette, after he finished his last one. A pretty lady stood nearby, trying her best to stop her tears, but obviously failing to do so. She finally gathered the courage to approach the indifferent Exorcist General and choked, "Why? Why! Y-you're heartless!"
Cross blew out the smoke of the cigarette and turned to the lady. "I'm heartless? You should've seen it coming. You are, after all, just a whore." The lady let out one last cry of anguish before she finally snapped at Cross's cruel words. She swung her palm to land a slap, but Cross easily grabbed the wrist of her raised hand.
"Get out of my sight. You disgust me," he muttered coldly. The lady snatched back her hand and ran from the Exorcist General, still weeping as she did so. Cross sighed and look up into the night sky.
"Don't just stand there so quietly, pretending as though that didn't happen," he muttered, turning to his right.
Klaud stepped out from the shadows. She folded her arms and refused to look at him. Cross eyed her.
"What? Not going to lecture me?" he challenged her, puffing his cigarette as he did. He regretted his words. He didn't understand it, but, of all the people he met, he hated to say such unkind things to her. Only her.
She finally spoke. "Do as you wish. I can't control your every move. You already know what I think of this." And with that, their brief interaction ended.
Cross angrily flicked his cigarette onto the ground, putting it out with his boot. 'Damn you Klaud, damn you.' These days, he changed lovers and indulged in less-than-moral activities more frequently than ever, probably because he wanted to ease the aching feeling in his heart. He resented himself for feeling such an emotion.
Ever since that day he first met her, the day she pointed out his weakness right then and there, he recoiled from the prospect of facing her again. And yet, he was drawn, intrigued, fascinated. He couldn't stay away from her for too long. Just who was Klaud Nine, this woman who captivated him so?
So, his attempts to charm her increased, and then one day, for the first time, she saw fit to introduce her Innocence. That dreaded creature. Why, what else but that monkey? Cross had never been so humiliated than that time when it suddenly charged at him as he was about to cheekily plant a peck on Klaud's cheek. The nerve!
It was then when he decided to turn his attention away from her, at least for the time being. 'There are other beautiful women out there, women who are willing to welcome me with open arms,' he assured himself. But with each woman he was with, his thoughts inevitably turned to Klaud at some point of time. It made him appear distant or distracted when it came to affairs of the bed, and he almost always have to make up some excuse to his current lover that his work as an Exorcist exhausted him. In truth, he was just smitten, deeply smitten, with a certain Exorcist General.
Cross slowly approached her, giving her time to adjust to his presence. All was quiet except for the sound of their breathing. Strangely, the monkey was nowhere in sight. He finally closed in the distance between them, and although her back was facing him, he didn't seem to mind at all.
"Klaud," he began, placing a hand on her shoulder. She stiffened.
He then placed both hands on her shoulder, turning her so that she faced him. She didn't want to look into his eyes, so she turned her attention to the side. Well, he wasn't going to let her off. He took her chin, and turned her gaze towards him. She made no move to stop him.
Cross laid a hand on her cheek, and then he gently fingered the burns on her face. 'Even with such a permanent scar, you're still stunning,' he thought in amusement.
Without warning, he pulled her into an affectionate embrace. She let herself be held by the man she always seemed to detest. But, as quickly as she submitted herself to him, she pulled back, acting as though she regretted letting him hold her. Turning her back firmly, she said without hesitation, "It would've never worked out between us." And she began to walk off. Suddenly…
"Keep telling yourself that, Klaud." She flinched at Cross's reply. She glared at the ground beneath her.
"You say that, yet you won't change your ways. You're still the good-for-nothing bastard as before; getting drunk, visiting brothels, increasing your debts... the list is endless." The angry tone in her voice was obvious; she made no attempt to mask her scorn towards him and his habits. She then proceeded to leave. She had enough of him. Enough of Cross Marian.
Cross just smiled, although she didn't see it. "That's just me being me. I don't change for anyone." At his last statement, she completely left him standing there. He looked up, still deep in thought.
'But maybe… just maybe, I might change… if it's for you, Klaud.'
He was still attracted to her.