Tumbleweed : prologue
Night time travel was always so eerie, especially when your only company is Bookman. The sky is resembles onyx and the only thing heard is the music of the night. The moon is natures only night light everything else remains pitch black. In a wooden carriage Bookman and his junior travel on a bumpy cracked road. The silence between Bookman and Junior makes for an uneasy setting. Chirping crickets and other nocturnal insects, the sound of a horse galloping were the only factors keeping the night from complete silence. The red head teen gazed out of his side window and sighed. It seemed like he had been trapped in this wooden moving box with his old panda for days though it had only been about 2 and a half hours.
"Oi, Ji-ji are we anywhere near Houston yet?" The impatient boy whined.
"We're no closer to Houston than we were when you asked 30 seconds ago" The old man scoffed.
The now irritated junior groaned. He'd been staring out the windows and the walls of the carriage for a while now, it was boring him. He'd tried on a couple of occasions to make light conversation with his superior but then again what would a young man like himself have in common with the elderly man, he just sighed and leant back into the wooden seat that was beginning to hurt his butt. Lavi shifted in his seat a couple of times to make himself comfortable. Drowsiness was taking him over. The moving coach seemed to help this too. He propped himself against the window for support and curled in his knees to make something close to the fetal position. Just as he drifted out to sleep, he awoke alarmed by a loud howl. The horse pulling the exorcist's carriage had begun to panic and threw the carriage off the dirt road.
"What the hell!" Lavi yelped with disclosure.
"Hold on Lavi" said bookman a little less than calmly.
When the horseman had finally gained control he had made the carriage halt. The abrupt stop threw Lavi from his seat and onto his stomach face first. Bookman hopped from his seat onto Lavi then off the carriage followed by Lavi and a string of curses toward him.
"Is everything alright" Bookman asks the somewhat frightened horseman.
"Everything's fine now, I think that howling scared my horse" He answered back. Not even a moment later came the eerie howling for the second time. This time was different though, it was louder which meant the creature it was emitted from was closer. The horse began to franticly thrash and make scared noises about the howling. Lavi immediately reaching for his innocence is guided into the nearby woods by Bookman leaving behind the horseman.
"Do you think an akuma in the form of a wolf has been tailing us?" Lavi asks activating Tettsui.
"I'm not sure but be prepared for it" The older man warns.
GAH!!
The sound of a man screaming was heard off in the distance. He was in agony it could be inferred someone was killing him. Lavi ran after Bookman who started toward an eastern direction. They jumped over logs and dodged low tree branches until they reached a clearing. They saw two figures one was about 5 foot 7- and was holding the other limp figure. The moon was covered by a shadow so they could not see the perpetrator's face. The figure dropped what Lavi figured out to be a dead body and growled at the two bookman. Lavi felt sorry for the victim that had only seconds ago been brutally murdered.
"Ozuchi! Kozuchi! MAN, MAN, MAN!"
The creature they could vaguely see dropped down to all fours and growled savagely the two bookman. The red head charged in and swung his massive hammer at the creature. The unknown being had nimble feet. Lavi held his hammer above his head
"Gouka Kaijin: Hiban!" The fire snake lit up the forest. The monster creature was assumed to be enveloped by the snake. A sonic howl was emitted from it. It was shrill and eerie. Lavi and Bookman covered their ears from fear of going deaf. When the fire cleared the figure stood. The moon that was once blocked by a cloud was no longer. Light shown briefly over the creature but once they blinked their eyes it was gone.
"Just what was that?" Asked the younger exorcist through pants.
"I have a hunch; this is why the order sent us all the way to Houston, Texas"
--
Lavi and the old panda had made their way back to the carriage to find the somewhat shaken horseman. They ensured that everything would be ok as long as they kept their eyes open. They got back onto the dirt road and were headed right for Houston. Lavi could only imagine what it was that they were fighting. He caught a slight glimpse of what it was when the moon light hit but it was too quick to register. He could have sworn he had seen a person as in human being but that could very well not be the case. Lavi put that thought in the back of his mind as drowsiness took over once again. He attempted to get comfortable in his hard wooden seat once again and lean on the window. Lavi shifted like he had done the time before until completely satisfied then dozed off. Moments later the coach came to an abrupt halt throwing Lavi once again.
"Get up you idiot someone's expecting us" Bookman scolded as he jumps off his seat onto Lavi and out of the carriage. For the second time that day he hopped from the carriage cursing the tiny old man. He get's out and pops his back , he was stiff from the long hours of riding in that carriage. He loosened his shoulders and popped his neck until his joints and cartilage felt comfortable. Lavi had began to wonder what acquaintance of bookman's is so important to travel all the way to Houston, Texas to get information from. Lavi wasn't sure but he had overheard the tiny panda and sister complex talking about a matter relating to unknown innocence around this area but why is it that the north American branch couldn't handle it. It could be the fact the have no exorcist in North America or maybe it was the panda who insisted he go because of his thirst for knowledge. Both of them were logical. Lavi took a moment to observe his surroundings. They seemed to be in a big town/ village of some sort. This is Houston? It wasn't as Lavi thought. Al he imagined was cowboys and Indians but it looked a little bit like England. Well these settlers were once a part of Britain so the similarities would be likely. The moon did a good job illuminating the town as there were not many street lights. Lavi's attension was taken to a house barely out of his line of sight. It was a ranch looking home it had a bar for livestock what looked to be a herb garden ad bright lights as if expecting someone at such a late hour. An inn maybe? From Lavi's far distance the place looked welcoming he could only wonder if that was wear he and the old panda would lodge bookman really want know for getting the best rest lodgings.
"Lavi" The elder's voice cut through the night's clear air like a razor it quickly caught his junior's attention.
"Look alive" He ordered simply. Lavi was completely and utterly mystified until the figure of a small woman of Bookman's height materialized from what seemed like no where. Lavi stood in attention awaiting bookman's instruction. Bookman's eyes narrowed at the approaching female. She stopped a few feet short of close and smile.
"I'm so glad you were able to make it here before sunrise, it's nice to see you bookman" The lady sounded friendly and welcoming. Almost like a sweet auntie. Lavi didn't feel the need to have high guard around this woman but stood in attention as bookman would have ordered him.
"Hmph, you're not fooling anyone apothecary, it is prevalent in your voice that you despise the fact I made it here and you had rather me been eaten by a pack of coyotes" Said bookman's earnest voice. The woman shrugged meaning she didn't deny she thought any thought of the sort. How cruel.
"Follow me if you will Bookman and company" said the older woman. Bookman trailed after the older woman he called apothecary. Lavi trailed after bookman as if this were one huge game of follow the leader. Lavi analyzed the various shops he passed. There were bakeries and, Cobbler shops; there was a shop for antiques and even a toy store for the little children. He pictured this city to be rather lively and bustling in day light hours. It must be beautiful to see so many people cooperating with one another to run such a big city Lavi thought. Lavi found himself being lead to the ranch he had spotted earlier. Was that apothecary's home? Would she be sharing it with us? He wondered. She and bookman based on their two sentence conversation don't seem to be on good terms with each other. The three approached a steep hill which made Lavi's stomach knot. I'm way too tired for this thought the struggling junior as he hiked his way up the hill. The back of his calf hurt him as did thigh muscles. Lavi was near out of breath by the time he reached the top. The two geezers ahead looked as if they had walked around the corner and didn't need any type of rest. The junior felt pathetic that an exercise that was about to kill him didn't make the seniors break a sweat.
"Welcome Bookmen to my clinic you'll be staying here throughout the duration of your stay , please make yourself comfortable and my assistant and I will make you both feel at home" The woman called apothecary opened the door as a bell sounded. A loud thump was heard off in the distance as well as scrambling feet.
"One Moment and I'll be right with you!" The voice sounded alert and urgent and seemed to come with closer foot steps. From around a corner a young lady at the age of seventeen maybe bowed.
"My Apologies , my Lady is not here , so I will see you now"
She looked up and her eyes fluttered seeing apothecary along with the two visitors she was expecting. Immediately She stood in attention.
"Sorry Grandma I didn't think it was you at the door" It wasn't hard to see that bookman and apothecary had similar methods of showing respect. Lavi observed the young lady a year sort of his age. She was a good height for a lady not too short not too tall. Her hair was long and silky tied back into a low ponytail by a single white ribbon. She had high cheek bones and the cutest almond yet somewhat rounded shaped hazel eyes. Her red hued skin was sun kissed and even her Native American heritage could be easily seen. Her nurse uniform hung lose on her but it couldn't hide her hour glass shape, her voluptuous bust and curvatious posterior. She was beautiful without lack of a better word. Lavi's mouth hung open at her gorgeousness. He felt his heart begin to thunder in his chest only one word came to mind and out of his mouth.
"Strike…"
Bookman slapped him in the back of the neck and yanked his ear
"Lavi …" He hissed. "Keep in mind who it is you are around and be respectful, do that when no one is there to hear you" and with that bookman's vice grip released Lavi's now pulsing ear. Apothecary and her assistant just stared at the two foreigners. Apothecary turned to her young disciple then cleared her throat.
"Oh yes" says the assistant "Good evening visitors my name is Chikusa Alchesay the locals call me tumbleweed I'll be helping grandma apothecary take care of you" She smiled genuinely at the two visitors of the order. Bookman bowed as did his junior an they both stated their names simply.
"Chikusa darling , I would like for you to take Bookman Junior upstairs and show him to his room, Bookman and I need to have a small chat, you should get ready for bed you've been working non-stop this morning" Chikusa nodded and took Lavi's hand.
"Please follow me Bookman Junior" She led the other apprentice up a long stairwell. It was really dark and Lavi could tell why she insisted on holding his hand. Once at the top She turned on a light that illuminated the long hallway. It looked homey, there were pictures scatter throughout the hallways, along with plaques and certificates. It was safe to assume apothecary was proud of her work. Lavi's foot steps trailed behind that of miss tumbleweed until she stopped at a room. Slowly she opened the door and turned on the lights. In there was a down style bed a working desk and a comfortable chair and a night stand.
"I hope you find your living arrangements to be satisfactory" She said in a robotic tone. Lavi nodded his head.
"These arrangements are much better than we ever get, tell me will this be my own room?" Lavi truly was sick of sharing a room with such a cranky old man like bookman.
"Yes, this is your room alone bookman's room is further up the hall my room is across from yours" Lavi contained his happiness to show self control but at the time he felt like jumping up and down like an excited school girl.
"Thanks, I'll be very comfortable here" Chikusa bowed then turned to exit the room.
"I wish you good night Bookman junior" Said the assistant as she departed from Lavi's room and shut the door.
Lavi felt warm and welcomed but he couldn't shake th feeling that Chikusa was reading from a script. Something in her actions seemed robotic almost as if she were a puppet and someone behind the scenes was pulling her strings. If these hypotheses were true then who is it, he wondered. He digressed though as his eyelids became heavier and sleep soon over took him.
A couple of hours later in the night-
The eyelids of that of the Bookman's apprentice fluttered open as the sound of talking echoed through his ears. Lavi rose from his bed and tiptoed out of his room to listen at the stair well. The voices were stern and so very serious. Just what were Bookman and apothecary catching up on.
"The recent phenomena only leads to one thing Bookman and yet you still are not ready to compromise your logic."
"Everything has an explanation Apothecary yours just sounds idiotic"
" Alright Bookman what's your hypothesis , The attacks take place only during the nights then they get worse on the nights of the full moon the only logical answer is werewolf attack"
"Apothecary there are no such things, I have a more logical explanation , called Akuma"
Is Bookman really going to explain Akuma to someone outside the order or has never seen one. She's going to think it's a load of bull. Well maybe not if she believes werewolf . The two elders go back and forward with their ideas and all it ultimately boils down to is Bookman investigating the matter. Lavi sighed.
"Well so much for sight seeing tomorrow" He turned around and almost dies of heart attack whn he see's Chikusa watching over his shoulder.
"H-hey there, I was just umm trying to find the bathroom"
"It's right this way Bookman Junior" She says about to lead him.
"No that's okay I don't have to go anymore I'll just uh go back to my room" Lavi seemed to have left in a puff of smoke because he was in his room within seconds. Nothing really made sence of the conversation between the two elders he figure bookman would clue him in once the mission starts. All he could do now is rest and await the inevitable. Though the recent phenomena really piqued his interest and made him want to know more , he deemed it time to rest and slept till morning.
(A/N: This is the intro to my new story tumbleweed I've had the idea for a while now I just don't have time to publish, I hop you enjoyed the prologue and I plan to write more chappies in the future plz review me favorites and alerts are welcome but pleas reviews ar the best form of feedback, until next time readers, domo arigato aishiteru and sayonara =D )