Disclaimer: I do not own the Dgrayman characters, they belong to the artist Katsura Hoshino. This is done solely for the sake of fan-girlism.
Warning: A story between Cross Marian and Neah Walker, with a hint of homosexuality. So please kindly read at your own risk. Rated M for madness... I mean, for safety.
Forewords: It has always bugged me why Cross had promised to look after Mana when Neah died, and then he picked up Allen after Mana passed away. And voila! Allen turned out to be Neah! The Noah and the General had much more in common than they had realised. This story is about the budding and wilting of an extraordinary friendship. This is kind of a 'test' chapter, please let me know if you would like to read on (I am not sure about this writing style, it seems to keep 'rolling along'... ) As always, I welcome and appreciate any comments and feedbacks on it! :3
Black Dandelion
by Sceaduw
Chapter 1. The Circus In Town
There it went again. Timcampy seemed to get into a habit of flying off on its own lately. Cross Marian frowned. He was extremely busy with his mission already. He didn't want to spend extra time to go around looking for his golem. What was it up to? Timcampy was his favourite companion and he would be very much heartbroken if the little golem decided to disobey him.
Cross looked around the mildly damaged town. People were glancing from behind shelters. Some were taking a brave step outside of their houses. Cross placed his gun back to the holster on his thigh, hidden from sight underneath his long black cape. It had become his daily exercise to shoot Akumas with his Judgement every morning. He wouldn't say it was hard work, but it did get annoying. What were all the Akumas doing in this small town? And it seemed they were not launching just any random attacks. Cross figured they had a plan to do something. Unlike being attacked by forty Akumas at once, four to five Akumas per day on the rampage were creating another form of terror among the villagers. It was his mission to find out and deal with it, before this town ended up like those previously destroyed by Akumas in a similar fashion.
"Father, help... me," whimpered a villager painfully. The man crawled slowly up to Cross. Cross looked at him. The man was young, much too young. But Akumas didn't pick victims. He was covered in blood and multiple black stars appeared on his skin. The villager desperately clutched onto Cross' ankle. He gave out one last cry, "I... don't want to die!" Cross closed his eyes and said his prayers. May God had mercy on his soul. There was nothing more he could do for this man. He had seen too much deaths in this little town. For every four villagers, one would be killed by Akumas. Cross hoped this man would be the last victim. The man wailed and burst into dust before Cross could say 'amen'.
Soft mourning was drifting through the air. Cross opened his eyes and saw the remaining villagers coming out into the open. They called for their lost loved ones.
"My dear child! My boy! Why is this happening to us?" an old woman was crying. She knelt on the ground, tears watering down onto the dust on the road. Cross went over and tried to help her get up. As expected, the woman shoved him away. She crawled back onto the ground where her grandchild had vanished and she continued to cry. There was no coming back for her child, no matter how much she shed her tears, thought Cross. "He was so happy... He said the circus is in town! We were planning to go there today! My grandson...!" sobbed the old lady hysterically. Cross did not know whether he should tell her that by tonight, her grandson would come back and kill her. She would call for the boy. Cross had seen enough to be very certain of this cycle of tragedy. He turned and walked away silently. Before noon, Akumas were destroyed; by midnight, Akumas were reborn. Tomorrow, there would be more Akumas. Just like yesterday and the day before. Cross sighed and he knew he would be stuck here until he found out what the Akumas were up to. In the meantime, he had to go look for Timcampy.
From a distance, Cross caught a glimpse of a golden flash. It was Timcampy. "Hey, where've you been?" asked Cross, slightly displeased. The golem fluttered around excitedly and then rested onto the man's broad hat. "Show me!" commanded the exorcist impatiently. Immediately the golem opened its jaws and projected a series of images before his eyes. So Timcampy had been spying on someone since they arrived in this town. Cross rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Who's the pretty boy?" muttered Cross to himself as the golem began to fly off into the distance again. He was curious and he was certain the boy was not just any boy. From the images, he realised the boy had smiled and greeted Timcampy. It was not what normal people would do. Normal people would freak out and whack his golem away. He decided to meet this boy.
Timcampy flew for a moment and then fluttered in mid-air, waiting for its master to catch up. Cross cursed silently as he made his way up a little hill. It was nearly noon and it was getting warmer since morning. Cross didn't like to get too sweaty. It kept ladies away. When he reached Timcampy, the golem darted forward and continued to fly off into the distance. They traveled for another ten minutes before they saw a huge colourful tent appearing before their eyes. A circus was situated just outside the battered town. Cross remembered an old woman mentioned about taking her grandson to the circus. So this must be that circus.
"We don't have time to watch stupid clown shows!" growled Cross. He didn't like circus shows and he loathed clowns. They were always ugly and rude men. Then he realised the golem was not heading for the tent. It changed direction and flew towards a large oak tree a few yards away. Cross followed closely. He slowed down his pace and stopped just a few feet from the tree. Someone was behind the tree. Cross could smell the distinct odor of tobacco. Timcampy was joyfully fluttering around a faint cloud of smoke. Whoever that was, his golem was sure glad to be around that person.
"You know, you should quit that. It's bad," Cross grumbled from behind the old oak tree. He hated the smell of tobacco, not to mention it was bad for health. The teen leaning on the tree was startled but he did not budge. He grinned and blew a white smoke ring at Timcampy. The golem coughed and flew back to its master. It snuggled onto the exorcist's hat for comfort.
"So is living. It's bad and it's sad," replied the boy with a light chuckle. Cross was surprised by the young voice. He was expecting a man around his forties and maybe in a hideous clown outfit. Seeing the smoker had no intention to face him, Cross walked up to the other side of the tree. There stood a teenager. It was the boy in Timcampy's recordings. He smiled at Cross and asked, "will you quit living?" His words had offended the exorcist. Cross snatched the cigarette from the teen and squished it out on the tree. It left a tiny burnt mark on the rough bark. The boy widened his eyes for a moment, surprised by the glare in the man's crimson eyes. Soon, he returned to his original calmness. He stole a glance at the golden rose cross on the man's left chest. Although his family had taught him about their nemesis, the Innocence compatibles or 'exorcists' as the humans referred themselves to, he was beyond fascinated to see an Exorcist General in real person. The boy grinned and felt an irresistible urge to play with this man.
"Neah! Where're you?" a loud cry snapped the two towards a person running out of the tent. It was a clown and he was looking around the place for someone. Then the clown spotted them and he ran clumsily up to the tree. Before Cross could utter a sound of irritation, the clown grabbed the teenager's scruffy hair and forcefully bent his head forward. The clown also bowed at Cross together with the boy. Cross blinked and watched in amusement as the boy tried to struggle away from the clown's grip.
"I'm sorry if he caused you trouble, dear sir!" the clown apologized, looking at the grass. Cross snorted. If one was to apologize, he should be looking at the other in the eyes instead of his feet. "Neah! Say you're sorry! Have you been smoking again?" hissed the clown but the boy remained silent. The clown apologized for several times more on the boy's behalf until Cross decided to stop him.
"What's your name? You two work in this circus?" asked Cross. The clown gave a sigh of relieve upon seeing the man was not angry. The boy, on the other hand, turned and walked away silently.
"Neah!" cried the clown but the boy went back towards the tent without saying anything. Cross watched as the clown fell to his knees and broke into tears. He wasn't really crying, it was just an act. The clown sprang to his feet again and tried to surprise Cross. He failed miserably when he saw the man was glaring at him. Cross was waiting for an answer and he was impatient. Then he saw the bruises and cuts on the clown's face. It was well hidden by his makeups, but they were still observable to a warrior's eyes. The blood vessels in one of his eye balls were screaming out in pain. Still the clown was smiling.
"My name is Mana Walker. That's my little brother Neah! I'm sorry he's quite a bit of a delinquent," said Mana with fondness. Cross could tell he loved his brother.
"Where are your parents? I suppose Neah is underaged?" asked Cross as he examined the face in front of him. Mana could be some years older than Neah, but Cross couldn't be sure due to the heavy makeups. The clown flopped down by the tree and started to tell his tale. Cross regretted asking. This clown talked too much. He leaned onto the tree and listened half-heartedly. To summarize and discarding useless information, Cross knew they were orphans and had been raised by and had been working in different circuses. What caught his attention were the places that Mana had worked in before. Those were the cities that were attacked by Akumas and eventually destroyed overnight. This clown was lucky enough to get out just in time at each city. Was he really? Or was this just a coincidence?
"... Life's difficult, but as long as Neah's with me...," the clown stopped. Cross glanced down at him and found the clown was staring emptily into the sky. Timcampy suddenly got off Cross' hat and rocketed towards the tent. Mana jumped to his feet when a group of men threw Neah out of the tent. He looked badly beaten and some men continued to kick and punch him.
"Oh no!" shrieked Mana and he dashed back to the tent. Cross quickly followed him. It was not his business to deal with human fights, but he couldn't just stand around and watch four grown-ups beating up one boy.
"Stop! Please! Hey! Stop it!" Mana kept shouting while he ran. Timcampy was the first to reach the gang. It fluttered and crashed itself onto the assailants' heads. The golem tried hard to knock them over but it was smashed to the ground by a man with an iron crowbar. They continued to hit Neah over and over again. Merciless bastards, Cross sneered. These were the humans he tried to save every single day. He was then surprised that Mana was running swiftly in his clown outfit now compared to before. It took less than a minute for him to reach Neah. The men stopped beating Neah and turned to Mana menacingly.
"You stupid clown! You're slacking off, are you?" shouted the man with the crowbar. He stood between Neah and Mana, blocking his way towards his brother. Neah was unconscious on the ground and Timcampy crept up to him, gently wiping the blood off his cheeks with its wings.
"N-no, sir! I-I... even if I am, you shouldn't hit Neah because I'm lazy! And I ain't slacking off!" wailed Mana. The man raised his crowbar and was about to strike when a hand stopped him.
"Ringmaster!" exclaimed the others as a well-groomed man stepped in. He had a whip in his hand and he did not hesitate when he made a crackle with it. Fortunately, it did not hit anyone. Some of the onlookers scattered off in fear but not the assailants. Mana looked at the man gratefully.
"Don't injure my favourite clown! He's the star of the show! People are paying good money to see his acts!" smiled the ringmaster as he gestured the men to back off. "Can someone tell me what's with this brat today?" asked the ringmaster. He took a closer look at the boy on the ground.
"He came crashing in and started it first!" sneered a man who had a wooden cane in his hand. He used it to poke at the boy's head. Mana scrambled up to his brother and held him in his arms. He trembled and tried to stop the bleeding on Neah's forehead. The ringmaster looked at them both and then understood what had happened. Neah had tried to avenge Mana again. He always did that whenever the others had picked on Mana. But the boy was too weak despite he looked physically fit. He always ended up being the one getting mauled. The ringmaster sighed. If not for Mana's sake, he would have thrown Neah away. The brat was nothing but a trouble-maker! He could only protect Mana since Mana was the one actually working. He could not protect Neah without a good reason. Unless Neah had a job inside the circus, he had to be fair among his employees.
Cross stood and watched from a distance. It seemed there was no need for him to interfere. The ringmaster got the people back to work and left Mana alone with Neah. The exorcist watched as Mana picked up Neah and staggered off to a much smaller tent set up far away from the main circus tent. He followed them and grimaced at the trail of blood behind the two boys. Then he remembered something. He turned back to where the assailants had headed off to. If one beat up his personal golem with malice, it was as good as a challenge to the master himself. No one messed with Cross Marian without a consequence!
The exorcist went back over to the large tent and he heard the four assailants laughing inside. They were reminiscencing their little triumph in beating the boy. He walked in and looked around. There they were, hanging around and doing nothing. They were the ones slacking off! Cross narrowed his eyes at the four. They still had their weapons at hand. A crowbar, a wooden cane, a pair of fists and another wooden stick. This won't be much fun. Cross wanted these wretched souls to remember the lesson for the rest of their lives. He looked around again and found a clown mask on a nearby wooden box. It was old, worn out and bloody scary. Cross smirked and put it on. He walked up to the four with a gleam in his eyes.
"Hey! W-wha-" before the man with the cane could respond, his bones cracked loudly. Another one screamed in terror as a devil with blood red hair loomed over him. He tried to punch the devilish clown face but his arm was twisted behind his back and the socket went off with a pop. Two went down, two to go. Cross turned to the remaining two men and watched as the two leapt at him together. He grinned and crackled each of his fingers. The exorcist spent less than five minutes inside the tent before he came back out again. He took off the mask and strolled off to the little tent. Those bullies would not be bothering anyone until the bones in their arms and legs were healed. And they would not be bothering any clowns anymore. Especially those with fiery red hair and eerie smiles.
"Oh, hello again, stranger," whispered Mana when he saw Cross walked into his tent. Neah was asleep on the ground, all wrapped up in a pile of ragged cloths. A potato sack acted as a mattress beneath the boy and it was stained with blood. Timcampy fluttered up to its master's hat as Cross knelt down beside Neah. He touched the boy's forehead. The cut had healed already.
"How...?" asked Cross in amazement. Much to Mana's protest, Cross took off Neah's shirt and examined his wounds. There weren't any.
"Stop this, you pervert!" exclaimed Mana as he covered up Neah with the cloths on the ground. The clown then trembled at the furious glare from Cross.
"I-I'm sorry, but who are you?" Mana stammered and began to dress Neah. The boy was still deep in slumber but all his wounds were gone. Cross was deep in thoughts. Could this strange healing power be related to Innocence? If so, then this boy could be trained to become an exorcist! He smiled delightedly. At last, his mission here had got him something useful.
"I'm Cross Marian, exorcist from the Black Order," he told the bewildered clown, "I'm going to take Neah with me." The clown widened his eyes in horror upon hearing Cross' words. The gentle clown turned violent suddenly. He grabbed Cross by the collar roughly, dragging and pushing until the exorcist was out of the tent. To Cross' surprise, Mana was strong.
"GO AWAY! LEAVE US ALONE!" Mana cried.
Cross waited until the clown went quiet and ordered Timcampy to stay with Neah. The little golem sneaked back into the tent without being thrown out by Mana. It wouldn't be wise for him to go back inside at this moment, not with the elder brother being so emotional. He wished he could just take Neah by force. There was no time to lose if the Akumas were there to hunt this Innocence compatible.
"Brother...?" said a soft voice. Cross stood outside the tent and listened. Neah had awakened. Maybe Mana's cries had woke him up.
"I'll be around if you change your mind," said Cross aloud and he walked away.
"What?" asked Neah in confusion as Mana hugged onto him, "Who's he? What does he want?" He looked at Mana but Mana remained silent. Neah pushed him away and stood up.
"Wait, where're you going? You're -"
"You know very well I'm fine!" interrupted Neah and he fled the tent. His brother should be well aware that these mortal wounds could be healed quickly by his inborn ability. He should have known his little brother was... something else. Neah ran from tent to tent, but Cross was no where to be seen. While Mana was calling after his younger brother, he saw four people being carried out of the main tent by some circus staff. They were badly beaten and were being transferred to the local hospital for intensive care. Mana shrugged as he watched the four moaned in agony. One of them caught a glimpse of Mana and went into shock, screaming and shrieking about clowns from hell.
"Looks like you have made a friend here, Mana," said the ringmaster cheerfully. He walked up to the clown and patted him lightly on the shoulder. "You can take three days off and take care of your little brother," said the man, curling his whip playfully.
"B-but... please don't fire me! I need this job!" pleaded Mana. There were still two more weeks before the end of his contract here. He needed the money to feed Neah and himself. Although he was glad someone had taken care of the bullies, he did not want to be sacked because of them. To his surprise, the ringmaster burst out laughing.
"Don't worry, someone paid me good money. Take a break and try to get Neah under control!" the man smiled. Mana was speechless. Who on earth would do that? He hoped this mysterious benefactor would not demand anything in return. He continued to search for his little brother.
"Miss me, boy?" smirked Cross, arms crossing his chest as he watched Neah running up to him behind Timcampy. He leaned on the tree, right next to the burnt mark. It was still freshly visible. Neah glared at him when he arrived before him.
"I see Timcampy had led you to me," said the exorcist happily and the golem fluttered around his hat. Neah looked at Cross in silence. "What? Not even a thank you? I save your brother some troubles back there!" exclaimed Cross, eyes peering at the youth. Neah was as healthy as he saw him earlier before the fight. Cross smiled with interest.
"Stay away from us!" warned Neah and he threw a punch at Cross. The exorcist caught his fist with ease and slammed him onto the ground.
"If you don't want to eat dirt, give me all you've got!" hissed the man. He wanted to know how good this boy could be. He wanted to know what his Innocence could do. "You're committing suicide when you throw that punch at me!" Cross sneered, twisting the boy's arm hard behind his back, "If you don't want to die, then give me your best shot!" Neah sneered but didn't seem to be able to set himself free. Cross was not satisfied. He believed the boy could do better.
"Come on boy! Is this all you've got? You feeble little weakling!" Cross bellowed. Neah had had enough. He tried to play nice. He even warned this exorcist. But he had pushed him too far! All of a sudden, Cross was bounced away by an incredible strength. Neah rose to his feet, golden eyes gleaming dangerously. Cross held his breath as he climbed back up to his feet. He observed cautiously as the boy grinned at him. The invisible aura emitting from the boy was anything but pleasant.
"Careful what you ask for, exorcist!" said the teenager with a chuckle. Cross grimaced and pulled out his Judgement immediately. Neah was no humans. He was definitely not an Innocence compatible. He watched as Neah patted the dirt from his clothes. He then glided towards Cross with a wide grin.
"Are you going to shoot me," asked Neah as he poked his finger at the gun barrel, "with this toy gun?" He gave out a crazed laughter and asked again, "Do you think I'm an Akuma?"
Cross trembled slightly at the boy's gaze. There was definitely something about this boy. Something... unlike Akumas. If he pulled the trigger now, what would happen?
"I'm human, exorcist. Just a little bit stronger than the average humans. Still, I'm human, like my brother," said Neah as he let go of the gun. He smiled wickedly and took a few steps backwards. Bowing deeply with grace, he introduced himself, "I'm Neah, the fourteenth Noah!"
Cross gasped. He couldn't suppress his genuine surprise. He was a Noah? The kins of the Millenium Earl? Cross fired a few rounds of bullets at Neah but they were deflected by an invisible wall. Neah stood calmly and smiled. He opened his arms wide open and challenged Cross to attack again. And Cross did. This time, the bullets went into Neah's body. The boy winced from the pain. He touched the blood gushing out from where the bullets impacted on him. Licking the blood with ecstasy, Neah continued to laugh at Cross. The wounds then healed by themselves.
"Is that all you've got?" teased Neah. He brushed his dark hair backwards from his forehead and revealed a line of seven cross marks. Cross had read about this stigmata before, it was the mark of the Noahs. Neah was not lying. He was really a Noah.
"So you're the one behind the Akuma attacks in town," said Cross through gritted teeth. He kept his Judgement locked onto the Noah. In a blink of an eye, Neah had charged at Cross, knocking the older man off balance. Cross fell backwards onto the grass and Neah jumped onto him. He straddled across the man's body and hands clutching his neck. The exorcist struggled but the teen was stronger. Neah leaned in close to look him in the eyes. His golden orbs shimmering with lust as he tightened his grip.
"Neah!" Cross hissed as he pressed Judgement onto Neah's head and fired. Blood splattered onto the exorcist's face, but Neah was still clutching onto his neck. It was truly an unspeakable experience to witness a bloody hole closing up by itself in a man's forehead. Neah grinned wider as he saw the flickering fear in Cross' eyes. He leaned in close and licked the blood off the man's face. For a moment, Cross felt he was losing his senses. Seeing the exorcist failing to response, Neah flickered his tongue playfully across Cross' parted lips, eliciting a shiver from the exorcist. Cross' mind exploded with humiliation, did he just kiss him? A male? And a Noah?
"Do you want to see my true ability?" Neah asked slyly as he released his captive. Cross gasped for air and pushed him away immediately. He distanced himself from the Noah. The boy chuckled as he watched the man wiped his lips furiously with his sleeve. The exorcist was shooting daggers at him now. Neah had not had so much fun since he betrayed the Millennium Earl.
"You little scum!" growled Cross but Neah smiled back at him innocently.
"I'm not the one behind the Akuma attacks," said the Noah, "Why would I try to ruin my brother's job here? If people die, no one will come to the circus! We'll be out of job!" He took out a cigarette and lit it. Cross studied this Noah delinquent. He looked sincere in his reply. The youth exhaled the smoke slowly. Neah was back to his human self again. His stigmata had vanished silently. Like before, no traces of wounds or scars were observable.
Cross was not sure if he should start the fight again. It was quite clear he was losing. He observed Neah's movement and the boy smiled at him. The boy didn't seem to want to fight anymore. Was he really just trying to warn him to stay away from them? If he was not behind the Akuma attacks, who was? Should he trust Neah?
"By the way, thanks for helping Mana," said Neah after a while, "I couldn't have beat those dirtbags without getting Mana sacked." He tried to suppress his laughter when he saw Cross dumbfounded by his gratitude. He walked casually over to the exorcist and stopped in front of him. Cross felt his heart skipped a beat as the teen peered up at him with his golden eyes. He tried not to cough at the smoke. Neah took out a packet of cigarette from his pocket and offered him one.
"No, thanks, I don't smoke!" Cross frowned. He tried to analyse the boy. Neah was a Noah but he didn't kill humans for the sake of his human brother. The boy might be able to end those bullies' lives just by looking at them! Yet he refrained from using his Noah abilities in the fight against them. Cross was confused. Noahs were not supposed to be merciful. They were, as legend had it, cruel and leave none alive, especially exorcists.
"Oh, right. It's bad," Neah chuckled. He put the cigarettes back into his pocket. He then took the one from his mouth and slipped the filter end into Cross'. Cross froze upon the touch. The filter was faintly moist and warm. The exorcist held his breath, not giving into the temptation. Neah leaned in close and whispered, "there's nothing too bad you can't accept. There's always worse to come." He tiptoed and kissed Cross on the bearded chin softly, devouring a small piece of caked blood there before he backed away. "Get out of here now! You can't save this town. It's doomed like those before her," said the teen as he strolled away.
The cigarette fell from Cross' lips and Timcampy ate it before it reached the grass.
"Shit! Damn it!" grumbled the exorcist as he flopped down onto the grass and sprawled out in frustration. His cheeks were burning and his heart pounded. He had just fight a Noah and he lived. Neah had let him live. What was that all about? Was Neah really a Noah? Cross stared at the floating clouds above. The breeze felt so soft and soothing. Soon, the exorcist fell asleep.
It was nightfall when Cross woke up again. He sat up and scratched his head. Timcampy fluttered around him happily and then projected some more visuals of Neah.
"Oh, you've been doing your job while I was sleeping? Good work, Timcampy!" said the exorcist as he patted the golem on the head gently. He sat cross-legged on the grass and watched the projected visuals. Then he noticed the person in the visuals was not Neah. That boy had bruises and cuts on his face. It was Mana without his makeups. The siblings were twins! He watched as Mana untied his ponytail and let his hair down. He shook his head like a dog out of the showers and then he tied his hair back behind him. He looked like a handsome young gentleman compared to his clown look earlier.
"Oh, great. So the short-haired one is the Noah and the long-haired one is the loving elder brother," muttered Cross. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he continued to watch the recordings. Mana looked a lot younger without the clown makeups. Cross thought he would be much older than Neah. He never have thought they could be twins. Cross wondered if Mana knew Neah was a Noah. Most likely not, judging by his reactions to Neah's beatings earlier today. There was one thing Cross was certain of, Mana had tried to protect Neah. Especially from him when he claimed himself to be an exorcist. Maybe Mana knew something but he didn't know everything. Then Cross smirked. He had an idea. It would be dangerous and Neah would most likely kill him for it. A risky one but it would work. Cross smiled and got up to his feet.
-to be continued-