First fanfic ever woo~! Hopefully it'll be good. I've had this idea in my head for a while now and since I've read a ton of other fanfics on DGM, I decided to write my own :D
Note: Pairings are still undecided, but I'm planning to have AllenXOCXOC ^^
Thanks to jokerose for supporting me and editing it while I was writing it! Troll buddies forever~ 3
Disclaimer: I do not own -Man, just my OCs
And now on with the show~
Chapter 1: Where are you?
Rain poured in sheets in the pitch black darkness of the city, the large clock tower overlooking the city striking a steady toll as midnight finally came to the sleeping city. A young girl wandered the alleys, looking for a place to stay for the night that was safe from the rain. She looked to be around eight years old and had long, unkempt pale blond hair that was soaked with water and mud. Her ice blue eyes glowed in the darkness as she looked left and right, looking for some sort of shelter, even if it had to be a box. There was nothing.
She could see her breath as the cold rain finished draining any leftover warmth from her body, despite her feeble attempts to keep warm. Suddenly the girl heard something clang against a large trash bin behind her and she turned around to see a large cat-like thing approach her, its unnatural yellow eyes gleaming in the night.
"Want to play a game~? It's called cat and mouse. I'll be the cat and you can be the mouse! Ready? I'll give you ten seconds to hide~" the mysterious creature called to her as it began counting down.
Not knowing what to do, the girl ran. Through the muddy streets all she did was run away; away from the being that was chasing her; away from danger; away from death until she could run no more. The girl's clothes were dragging her small body down, and the evil thing would soon catch up. Her foot caught on uneven, wet pavement and she fell with a splash into a puddle. She spat out the muddy water that caught into her mouth, but the voice rang again, and the girl's eyes whipped around searching for the owner.
"Ready or not, here I come~" it called out as it began its search for its prey.
She panicked, quickly scrambling and turned into the first alley she saw and suddenly stopped when she saw a dead end. She was trapped.
"Ehehe I can smell you~" it purred. "Just one more prey and I'll level up~"
Upon hearing this, the girl frantically looked left and right for a place to hide her small frame. When she found none, she simply jumped behind a trash can and hid as best as she could. She kept quiet, the tears streaming down her face as she tried to stay hidden, when a thought occurred to her.
I'm going to die.
"I found you~" the creature purred. The girl's breath froze as her eyes widened in horror and felt the hairs on the back up her neck rise up as the cat-like monster's steps created loud splashes, indicating its proximity to her hiding spot. When the footsteps came to a halt, the girl knew that the monster was already there. She squeezed her eyes shut, openly sobbing now, pressing her small body into the wall next to her trying her best to keep away from death, and as the monster raised its claws for the finishing blow, time slowed down as she waited for death. That slowed moment, she felt herself accepting the fear, almost feeling empowered. But it was too late for that now, the feline was swinging her claws down.
The claws never came.
Right before the cat's claws touched her neck, its own shadow reached up and pulled the creature into the ground as if it were quicksand. Yowling with surprise, the feline tried to scramble out of the darkness, only to sink in further as the shadows wrapped around it, pulling it in until there was nothing left.
The monster was gone.
Elsewhere in the darkness of the sleeping city, there was another boy in a similar predicament. The boy had messy black hair that that made his heterochromatic eyes stand out even more. His left eye was a calm emerald green while his right eye was a blood red color. His long hair covered his right eye, making it seem as if he only possessed a single eye. He could see his breath fog up in the chilled air as he struggled to flee from the mysterious being that had been chasing him all night long.
As the boy glanced back, he could faintly see its profile although the pounding rain made his already slick hair press against his face, attempting to cover both his eyes and obscure his vision. He quickly moved the hair out of his eyes and glanced back once again. This time he could see it more clearly and quickly took in its menacing appearance. It resembled something akin to a snow monster but was a more warped version of it, with beady red eyes and a sinister smile. It was hunched over as it limped, with wiry hands and feet, making it seem almost zombie-like as well.
Frightened by its horrific appearance, the boy quickly turned to face the front and ran with all his might into the park, where he thought he could hide inside the canopy of the trees. His breath became even foggier, almost certain his lungs were full of cold icy air, as the icelike being neared his hiding place. The trees around him were beginning to die from the sudden exposure to ice.
"Come out come out wherever you are~" it crooned.
He could feel his fingers getting number as it came ever closer. If he didn't do something quickly, he would die of frostbite, he bitterly realized. Grabbing the first thing he saw, he ran at the creature.
"Missed me~" it mocked as it effortlessly dodged his attack and stuck out its tongue. Even its tongue was unpleasant to look at, was there anything decent about this grotesque monster? "Better do better than that if you want to kill me, boy."
Enraged by the creature's taunts, the boy started swinging his branch back and forth but to no avail. The creature cackled loudly before closing in on its prey. When the distance between the two was next to nothing, a bright light flashed in the sky and flew down towards the boy, emitting another light before it dimmed down, revealing an intricate luminescent glowing bracelet on his wrist.
"Wha—what is this?" he gasped, quickly letting go of his branch as the glow from the strange bracelet faded.
The creature uttered a strange hiss and took a step back. "Innocence!?" it screeched.
'What? 'Innocence'...?' the boy raised an eyebrow before the mysterious bracelet emitted another strange glow and he felt something inside him urging him to pick up the stick once again. Obeying his instinct, the boy slowly bent down to pick it up and as he did, a strong gust blew from behind him, somehow with enough force to take the rain away. With a strange sense of strength bubbling from inside him, the boy instinctively held his makeshift weapon in front of him, although it trembled slightly in his hands as he raised it towards the monster. It seemed as if this 'innocence' wanted him to fight the thing, but he was sure that the stick he held would do next to no damage on the creature, but his instincts told him that that would be enough. Suddenly a pair of red eyes appeared in his mind, staring into his soul.
"Are you afraid?"
The boy froze, contemplating his situation and slowly nodded his head. He was afraid. He was very afraid. Maybe it was better to let him take over, especially if that meant that he wouldn't have to deal with this monster anymore. As the boy remained indecisive, the voice spoke to him once again.
"I can help you, if you want."
He hesitated slightly before shaking his head, effectively silencing the voice inside his head. He didn't need him. Not here. Not now. The boy tightened his grip on the stick and faced his opponent, who was still wearing that sinister grin from before, but it now looked slightly nervous. Maybe it was due to the sudden appearance of the mysterious bracelet on his right wrist.
He once again held the stick in front of him and felt a sudden urge to pull it back to his right side a bit, as if he were charging a powerful attack. In his mind's eye, he pictured in his hands a slender sword that could cut through anything, even air. The bracelet glowed in response to his imagination and the stick in his hands began to glow as well, emitting the same pale green light from before. When the boy once again opened his eyes, the air around him stilled, and even the rain had paused as if anticipating his next move. Letting out a yell, the boy began running towards the monster and it prepared to attack him as well, getting tired of standing still with an Exorcist right in front of it. Once again following his instincts, he suddenly swung his weapon up towards the sky, and the energy that was charging in it was released in a burst of greenish-white light heading straight towards the monster. Its eyes widened and it threw up a large branch in an attempt to protect itself, but the blast of energy was actually razor sharp air that cut through everything in its path, and cut the being in half. The creature uttered a single shriek before exploding and sending a cloud of dust up into the air.
The boy shielded his eyes from the dust and started coughing loudly. When the dust finally settled he heard someone clapping from behind him. "Bravo my boy," complimented a rather old looking man wearing a large black coat with gold trimmings. His hair was rather messy and he wore large glasses that seemed to give off a vibe of kindness, which was rather strange to the boy because the man seemed rather untidy and had an enormous sketchbook on his back.
Shocked from the newcomer's sudden appearance, the boy picked up his stick again, holding it as a weapon once again. "Who are you?" he demanded. This man who had suddenly chosen to show himself seemed rather suspicious to the boy. If he had been standing there the entire time, why didn't he help him? There was definitely something different about the man though.
"Shall I take care of him for you...?"
"My name is Froi Tiedoll. I'm part of an organization called the Black Order," the man raised his hands in a simple gesture of surrender. "And who might you be, young lad?"
His grip tightened on his weapon, unsure of his trust, but if it meant getting away from this cold and bitter place then, yes, he trusted this man. For now. The boy gave a small, imperceptible shake of his head. 'No,' he replied to the voice inside his head. 'He's definitely suspicious, but I think we can trust him...for now.'
"Very well then."
The man waited expectantly for a reply. Inwardly sighing, the boy lowered his stick and introduced himself, continuing the act of a scared and confused boy, "Joseph… Rainwater..." His voice trembled slightly as he added the finishing touches to his act and he mentally patted himself on the back.
"Nice to meet you Joseph-kun." Tiedoll smiled warmly. Joseph could feel himself cringe slightly at the flowers that seemed to come from out of nowhere when that man smiled. He looked down at his feet, hiding the bitter look in his eyes. How long had it been since someone had called him 'Joseph'? He actually preferred the nickname Seph, but that tidbit was held off for another time. Many questions rang in him at one time, 'Why is this man here?' 'What is the Black Order?' 'What exactly was that monster from before?' 'What is 'innocence'?'
Tiedoll spoke before Seph could voice his thoughts, "I'm sure you have many questions for me, Joseph-kun." He turned around before Seph could open his mouth. "Do not fret. All your questions will be answered place is not safe," Tiedoll looked at him from the corner of his eye and Seph could faintly tell that he was smiling once again. Seph scowled. Did this man always smile?
Eliminating his face of his earlier emotions, Seph once again assumed the character of a confused boy and followed the man out of the park.
In the darkness of an alley, a pair of ruby red eyes glowed in the now clear sky. They flickered left and right, scanning across the moonlit street. A cloud slowly moved in the sky and the moon's pale light illuminated the darkness of the alley, revealing a small boy around 11 years old. His long blond hair could not completely cover his striking red eyes that glinted like rubies in the moonlight.
He was crouching down behind a dumpster, acutely listening to the sounds of the city. Far off, he heard a monster's roar and a cat's pained yowl. He debated on going towards either the roar or the yowl, but he suddenly heard something step in a puddle with a loud splash as well as the jingle of bells. Something was coming.
The boy slowly edged out from the side of the dumpster he had been hiding behind and took a quick peek of the mysterious being that had approached his alley. In the pale light of the moon, he could make out a humanlike thing dressed like a jester complete with bells. Although he could not see its face, the hairs on the back of his neck rose when he saw the jester's malevolent smile and felt its sinister aura. He barely suppressed a shiver as the moon's light fell upon the joker's face, revealing unnatural yellow eyes that focused in on him as the moonlight revealed his own hiding place as well.
"...Hehehe." The jester gave a sinister grin and let out a maniacal laugh that chilled the boy down to his bones. This man was dangerous. "You can't hide from me forever~"
The boy panicked when he heard the jester talking to him. He desperately looked for something to defend himself with; anything was better than nothing. At last his eyes fell upon a broken pipe and he slowly picked it up and stood up. He walked out and held it towards the jester like he would with a sword.
"Well, well, well, would you look at that?" it giggled at the boy's challenge. "Not hiding anymore I see."
He could feel his pipe trembling slightly and placed his other hand on the pipe, directly above his right hand, effectively steading it. Once his pipe was steadied, he sent a glare toward the jester, who remained calm with the same sinister grin pasted onto its face. It was greatly intimidating, but for some reason, he felt strong, strong enough to defeat this monster. Although he didn't know where this strength came from, he followed his instincts and charged.
"Did you seriously believe that you could kill me with this piece of metal?" it laughed as it knocked the away glowing pipe from his hands. He paused. Glowing?
The boy glanced over at the pipe in surprise, as did the jester. Where his two small hands had been were ten distinct lines that could only be achieved by holding one's hand on the pipe, yet his weapon had been so deformed that it also seemed to have been melted slightly before quickly cooling down in the puddle of water.
The jester's shock soon wore off and he sent a backhanded swipe that sent the boy flying towards the wall. The boy landed in a puddle and sat there stunned. Facing a foe much stronger and much more dangerous than the others, a discomforting thought erupted in him for a split second.
He was going to die.
He had absolutely no chance to win against this foe. The only way he would be able to live was if a miracle happened and the jester somehow ended up killing itself. No, but wait. Whatever happened to that strength earlier, that feeling of being able to take down anything? Maybe he was too much in the moment that time. He closed his eyes, and decidedly accepted his fate.
He sat there awaiting his death, extremely calm for a mere eleven year old boy who was about to die.. As the jester stepped closer to finish off its prey, it suddenly screamed in pain, exploding into nothingness as a strange man stepped out from behind it.
"Get up boy unless you wish to die in this hellhole," the man grunted holding his saw-like weapon.
'...What?' the boy slowly opened his eyes to see a large, masked man dressed in a long black coat with trimmings of gold. His mask made him seem like a convict, but the man had saved him, so the boy figured that he couldn't have been as bad as he thought he was.
"Um… Thank you sir," the blond boy stammered with his eyes wide open in shock as he scrambled to his feet. He began dusting himself off but remembered that it had just been raining and there was no dust to be found on his body. He looked at the man's hands that were holding his weapon and noticed something peculiar in his other hand. There was a strange sphere surrounded by what seemed to be clock gears that were arranged to make an X. The sphere emitted an otherworldly green glow before it flew from the man's hand and went for the boy's wrist. Upon making contact the light dimmed to reveal a slightly luminescent bracelet around his wrist.
The boy jumped back and tried to wiggle the strange bracelet off of his wrist. "It...won't come off!" he exclaimed as he continued trying to tug it off his wrist. He glanced back up at the dangerous looking man and quickly tried to apologize to him, "I-I'm sorry! It just...won't come off!"
"Boy," the man began suddenly, ignoring the boy's dilemma. "What's your name?"
"My name is…Evan. Evan Wilder," Evan's nervous red eyes blazed in the night. "C-Could I..." Could I have your name? he had meant to say.
"Winters Sokaro."
Winters Sokaro. This name was so befitting of the man. Cold.
"D-do you know what those things were?" Evan avoided direct eye contact with the man, afraid he might use that ghastly weapon Sokaro held on him.
"Just shut up and follow me if you wish to live, boy," Sokaro interrupted as he started walking.
Stunned by his harsh words, Evan only nodded as he began to follow the mysterious man. Looking up to the night sky, a single promise lay in his mind, with a single question accompanying it.
Where are you?
Above the girl's alleyway, a young woman with long white hair and violet eyes watched as the girl in the dark alley finally opened her eyes to see the creature gone. The girl glanced around in confusion, wondering where the creature had gone.
Swiftly jumping down to land right behind the young girl, the woman spoke, "Are you alright?"
The frightened young girl jumped at the sudden voice behind her. She didn't know how to answer this woman, so startled at her sudden appearance she could only nod. Or at least do something that seemed like a nod. Her ice-blue eyes landing on the woman's violet eyes. Such deep intelligent and kind eyes she had, along with long and pure white hair, the color of purity and perfection..
"If I may ask, what's your name?" the woman asked as she helped the girl up.
"Maria…Tsukiyomi ma'am," the girl replied shyly, still in awe of the woman's beauty, "Who are you?"
Giggling, the woman replied, "No need for such formalities Maria. My name is Ebony Florence. Have you ever heard of Akuma, Innocence and the Black Order?"
"'Akuma? You mean demons?" Maria tilted her head.
"No," Ebony explained. "Since we're not exactly safe here, I'll give you the short explanation. Akuma are weapons created by the Millenium Earl that hunt and kill innocent people. That's why there are some special people chosen by God to be His Apostles that exist in order to protect other people using what we call Innocence. You have one too," She stated proudly.
"Innocence… So is that what got rid of the Akuma just now? My Innocence?" Maria asked curious.
"Correct you are! You were chosen by God and have been given a special Innocence inside your body, which enabled you to destroy the Akuma, freeing its soul," Ebony answered.
"So does that mean that I can be an Exorcist too?" I'll be able to protect my family.
Ebony held out her hand, "Would you like to...?"
Maria's heart pounded, staring at the hand. Should she trust this woman, there would be nothing to fear anymore…
"Would you like to become my disciple?" A smile crept onto Ebony's face; it was so inviting and so kind. Maria hesitantly reached out, but took grasp of the hand. Her confidence began to well up within her, and she felt stronger.
Maria smiled, "Yes!"
Woo first chapter is finally done x.x Hopefully I portrayed the generals right. And the action scenes. Was a bit nervous about those XD
Please leave a review! I want to know what people think of this and I'll try to improve my writing skills as the story goes on ^^
*Edit* Holy crap. After rereading this chapter, I realized just how horrible it actually was x_x Well now that it's been rewritten and edited, it's now much better compared to the original! XD I hope you like this new plot~