A/N: Ugh, now I know what other people mean by "life gets in the way of my writing", or " I can never get around to it". I seriously need a good slap upside the head. Anyway, I'll try to write/update my stories faster (I doubt myself...).
Warning: Vulgar language (Courtesy of Kanda!)
Katsura Hoshino owns DGM
"Uwa~! Are you seeing this, Yu?"
"What's there to even see, stupid rabbit? And stop calling me that."
"Now, now you two. Let's just enjoy the view without any fight breaking out."
Three people stood by the railing on a large boat. The cold ocean breeze picked up between them and prickled their skin. The deck was nearly empty, since most of the passengers returned to the cabins. Winter in England is rather cold, after all.
"I can't believe we finally get to go to the place Gramps always told me about! Just imagine the history of this island," a hyperactive young man exclaimed distantly. His bright red hair was tied loosely at the back of his neck, an orange scarf wrapped below it. He was wearing a knee-length brown coat and dark jeans, but what stood out the most was the patch over his right eye.
"Yeah, we were so lucky to be chosen for this program. Brother was so worried though," a petite Chinese teen noted with a giggle. Her dark hair was tied in two small pigtails, but most of it hung down just past her shoulders. Her short pleated skirt and puffy jacket rustled in the wind. The leggings she wore accentuated her lean legs, ending at the fluffy fur boots.
"Che, this better be worth it," a gruff voice snapped. His long bluish black hair was up in a high ponytail. He was Asian and dressed darkly, with a leather tight coat and black pants tucked into heavy boots. There was an intimidating scowl set on his mouth.
"Oh, it will be. Rest assured, you'll have a lot to write about in the reports," a smooth voice interrupted. A tanned Portuguese man in his mid-twenties walked toward them and leaned against the railing. His dark and wavy hair was tied much like the red head's, except longer. The other three seemed irritated that he was there, and the mood instantly darkened a bit the moment his presence was made. He sighed at the attitude he received and was about to speak again when a whiny voice interjected.
"Tyki, it's too cold out here. Why did you drag me along with you on this boring trip? Meanie," a small 13 year-old girl with spiky blue hair said. Her ruffled shirt, short skirt, and multi-colored stockings looked out of place for the weather. She, too, was frowned at slightly by the three young adults.
"Oi, oi! What do you mean I dragged you out here, Road? You're the one who followed us," the man, now identified as Tyki, shouted. Really, his niece could be such a bother sometimes.
"Ah, so anyway. How did we get here again?" The girl, Road, asked whilst ignoring her uncle. The red-head chuckled at their antics, in which he received a pointed look from his friends. He sighed in mock exasperation and went on to explain.
"Yeah, so we were at the university as usual, going to our classes, as usual. When suddenly! The professor told us we were qualified for this special program! Each year, this organization selects a random university, and then chooses the top students who major in history. They then send them off to study someplace and write a report on it. I don't really want to go into detail about it because it's complicated, though. But I heard that they usually ship the students off to areas with mysteries to them... Like where we are headed to now," the young man finished. It was true, despite sounding suspicious. It was a research organization that had a lot of time and money, so now they sponsor students. Tyki was there because he was the history teacher. But why his niece followed is lost to them.
"I still find it surprising that you two want to study history. I understand Lavi, but I was expecting Lenalee to do dance and Grumpy-pants Kanda to do... Something more violent," Road remarked in a bored manner as she fished in her pocket for a lollipop. Lenalee, the older girl, giggled while she calmed down a fuming Kanda, the young Japanese.
"Oh, look! I see the island!" Exclaimed an excited Lavi. He jumped up and down while pointing to a shape in the distance. They all cracked a smile (sans Kanda) at his childishness, but only one thought ran through their minds.
'The mystery of the "Holy War", huh?'
It started raining a little before they arrived at their destination. It was a light drizzle, so it was ignored for the most part. The group stepped off the boat with their luggage in tow and began walking into town. They would be staying at a small inn at the edge of the forest. As they were making their way to the inn, Lavi's head jerked up. Lenalee noticed the sudden movement and stopped her one-sided conversation with Kanda.
"What's wrong, Lavi?" She asked with a tilted head. The others in the group turned around to look.
"... Nah, it's nothing. I thought I just heard someone yelling," he said sheepishly. Kanda snorted and crossed his arms.
"I think you're hearing voices, maybe you should get that checked. Along with all your other problems," the long haired man said with a smirk. Lavi slouched and groaned.
"Noooo, I could have sworn I heard someone cursing God. Like, 'Fuck yooooouuu' or something," he imitated by shaking his fist to the sky. His two friends face-palmed while his teacher sighed.
"Let's just get to the inn and unpack. After that, we can check out the site," he mumbled tiredly. He received a chorus of bored "Yes, Mr. Mikk"'s. Tyki frowned at their disrespectful behavior, but chose to ignore it. For some reason, those kids, their families, and their friends seemed to dislike him and his family. From the Earl to Road, it always seemed like they held distrust for one another. Although, Tyki and Road were somehow shown with less contempt than the others. Sometimes.
"Stupid trip."
The five from London were making their way through a forest in extreme discomfort. Why, you may ask, would they be uncomfortable from anything other than the atmosphere? Because it was snowing. Heavily. There was a light rain earlier, and then an hour later, the ground was covered in snow.
"Why exactly are we visiting the site in THIS weather when it's almost dark out? We should just go tomorrow," whined Road. It was just a stupid building with a made-up story behind it, for all she cared.
"Quit bitching. If you want to complain to someone, go to that idiot over there," grumbled Kanda. She just stuck her tongue out at him and pouted.
"Hey, hey! It isn't my fault if I'm all hyped up for this! I mean, come on, we're going to the supposed site of the headquarters for the Black Order," he exclaimed.
"Yeah, reeeeeal exciting. Visiting some place that was probably made by some nutcase wackjobs. Y'know, I don't even see the importance of some huge ass buildi- WOAH HOLY SHIT!" She exclaimed. Her small rant was cut short when they caught a glimpse of a large, imposing building facing them. It was an impressive sight to behold.
"See, THAT is why we're here. Now let's get out of this cold, I think I got hypothermia," Lavi said with something crossed between a smug smirk, an excited grin, and a pained face from the temperature. Only he could achieve a facial expression of that caliber.
They trotted in past the ceiling-high door and into an equally impressive foyer. It was adorned with old and broken paintings along with many other pieces of deteriorated decor. It seemed to have once been a comfy and relaxing lounge area. But now it was just a gray and chipping room with arched doorways and tall windows. Basically, it was old, dilapidated, and in Road's words, boring.
"Well, let's get started then," Lenalee stated with a wry smile. Kanda grunted and Lavi groaned. Tyki chuckled at the deflation of enthusiasm while Road just grimaced and sat on a chunk of a fallen column. They worked on in silence, studying the things they found while discussing the history of the Holy War. Eventually, they settled into a comfortable silence.
"Hey," Road said after an hour of quiet. "Doesn't this place feel familiar to you? Sorta gives you a bad feeling," she mumbled grumpily from her perch on a flat bench. They managed to find some furniture that was somewhat usable. Tyki was settled on a dusty chair, nodding off, while the three students were jotting things down, examining, and going over documents. They looked up from their work and nodded at each other. It was time for a break. They stretched and walked over to the seating area.
"I guess. I sort of feel a homely nostalgia here, but it also seems a bit sad," Lenalee answered. Lavi was staring off into space and Kanda seemed to be lost in thought.
"It repels me some. But you could say I feel comfier than I should be in a musty old place like this," the Portuguese responded with an unlit cigarette hanging loosely from his mouth.
"Hm. I guess... Hey Lavi, what do you think? Lavi? Hey," the pigtailed girl waved her hand in front of her friend's face. He jumped suddenly and looked around confusedly.
"Guys, something's not right here," he blurted out. When he only received bemused looks, the red head opened his mouth to explain, only to stop at the sound of music. The others also heard soft singing in the background.
"Hey, do you hear that? It sounds like a piano," Road whispered. The song sounded so familiar, but she just couldn't remember! It only hurt to think about it, and she was pretty sure the others felt the same when she saw Tyki ruffle his hair and Kanda mumble a short curse. Lavi just jerked his chin in the direction of the playing, a hall to the church-like room. It got louder and louder as the quintuple neared the slightly open door. They all exchanged nods and Kanda slowly pushed the door in. The creaking alerted the person standing there, making him stop, and they were greeted with the sight of a beautiful man standing beside a pure white piano.