Disclaimer - I do not own DGM

Chapter Two - Exorcist and Noah

For a moment, after uttering those words, which were partially a question and partially an accusation, all the boy in white could do was stare. It was beyond obvious that he was somewhat shocked by this rather unexpected turn of events.

And not in the least bit happy about it.

For his part, Mana was equally surprised, staring in confusion at the younger teen as the question was posed to him. Soft brown eyes met steely gray ones as each boy sought answers from the other.

As though in a silent battle of wills.

Silence hung heavy in the air as the two youths fought to make sense of the situation. Cross, on the other hand, was a little more vocal than the other two. "Hey brat," he demanded, taking a couple of steps toward the mahogany haired boy, his red eyes locking with the smaller boy's gray ones. "How the hell do you even know about Exorcists?"

After all, that knowledge was supposedly restricted to a limited number of people.

"Back off," the boy growled in a menacing tone, seemingly growing irritated with Cross' attempts to approach him. Wariness shone in his eyes for the briefest of moments before it was hidden behind a mask of stoicism that had been perfected by years of practise. Taking a step away from the red head, the boy turned his attention back to Mana, in essence saying without the use of words that Cross wasn't worth any more of his time. "Answer the question."

Far from a request, it was more of a command.

And it effectively served to snap Mana out of his trance like state and bring his mind back to the present. Narrowing his brown eyes in mild annoyance he focused his full attention on the younger boy. He was still curious as to what was going on but that would just have to wait. "I know that it's been awhile but that's no excuse for forgetting your manners Neah Walker."

"Well this certainly takes me back," the boy named Neah said, his voice still possessing a slightly arrogant tone about him. He seemed completely un-phased by the stern note in Mana's own voice, as well as the fact that he had just been scolded by the older boy. "Haven't heard that in what, four years?"

Mana looked stricken for a moment as he was seized by memories of the past, of the event that had torn his family apart. Things hadn't been the same since that horrible day and there were times when the teen could still hear the frantic screams of the boy as the two of them were forcefully separated.

"I tried to find you," Mana said in his own defense, both his voice and his gaze softening as he gazed upon the boy's features. Neah appeared to have changed a great deal in the time that they had been separated and he seemed to have lost most, if not all, of his childish innocence. The older teen found that he couldn't keep himself from wondering what exactly had happened to the boy to put that steely look in his gray eyes.

The boy who stood before him appeared hardened by the world. As though he had seen things that no child should ever see. It was a look that Mana was unfortunately all too familiar with, one that greeted him every morning when he gazed into the mirror, courtesy of the Black Order.

"I didn't want to be found," Neah countered, making absolutely certain to keep his facial features stoic and free from emotion of any kind. After all, the words that he spoke were only partially true. In the beginning he had pined for Mana but, after awhile, time and constant suffering had turned him bitter. And steeled his resolve to never again rely on anyone for anything. When you only relied on yourself there was less of a chance for disappointment. And even then you only had yourself to blame if things didn't go according to plan.

"Hold up," Cross said gruffly, his gaze shifting back and forth between the two of them. And, under his scrutinizing gaze, the similarities between Mana and the boy became blaringly obvious and not something that anyone could deny. "What the hell is going on? You said that his last name is Walker… does that mean…"

Mana nodded his head in affirmative, anticipating the question that Cross was going to ask and knowing that Neah wasn't likely to admit the truth of the matter to Cross. In fact, he seemed perfectly content to simply ignore the red haired teen's existence entirely. "Neah is my younger brother."

Neah made a face as Mana explained the truth of their relationship to Cross but opted not to comment.

"I didn't know you even had a brother," Cross said, his gaze shifting between them every so often. As though unable to believe what his eyes were telling him to be true.

A slightly bitter light rose to shine in Mana's eyes at this point, making it appear as though he were being haunted by the ghosts of his past. It was a strange look and one that was wholly unlike the normally kind young man. "The Order isn't exactly conducive to family life y'know."

Recalling his companion's fairly 'eventful' arrival at the Black Order, Cross nodded his head. He knew that statement was true but, having no familial connections of his own, it was a mute point.

"You could have fought against them," Neah said, the soft tone of his voice undermined by the fierceness contained within. "You didn't have to go and you damn sure didn't have to stay. You didn't have to take up arms," he gestured toward Mana's Innocence with a flourish of his hand. "And fight for them. Become one of them."

The haunted look returned to Mana's brown eyes as he heard these accusing words spoken by his little brother; the younger sibling who had idolized him as a child. "You have no idea what I've been through…"

"I don't give a damn what you've been through," Neah spat in a slightly feral tone, his eyes flashing gold as the mask fell away. "You left me in that hellhole alone… with no one but THEM." He uttered this last word as though it left a foul taste in his mouth.

"Neah… If there was anything I could have… That wasn't what I wanted to happen, I swear…"

"Enough," the boy said, his now golden eyes narrowing as his gaze swept back and forth between the two of them. His mind had been reeling ever since this encounter with the one person that he had been convinced he would never see again. However, now his decision had been made. He knew what he had to do and the path that he had to take. "You're a member of the Black Order now… Brother or not I have no choice in the matter…"

At this point the boy's appearance underwent a rather drastic change; his skin tone went from slightly pale to ashen gray and his hair from a rich mahogany to charcoal gray. And, at the same time that his skin paled, a row of small cross shaped stigmata seemed to etch themselves across his forehead.

"What the devil?" Cross exclaimed, actually taking a step back from the youth. He had never borne witness to such a transformation and for some reason the hairs on the back of his neck were standing up. And a strange energy seemed to be swirling around Judgment, as though the Innocence was sensing the same danger that Cross himself felt.

"The Order knows nothing of us," Neah said, his gaze not focusing on one single object but seemingly dancing around. There was somewhat of a smile on the boy's face, as though he were enjoying a private joke. "Lord Millennium ordered that we remain hidden however…"

"Lord Millennium!" Cross suddenly exploded, anger causing him to forget all about his caution. Striding forward he made a move to seize the boy by the collar but the kid seemed to anticipate the move, dancing to the side before the red head managed to grasp the fabric of his shirt. "Are you honestly standing there and proclaiming that you work for that fat ass? Despite knowing that we're Exorcists and in league with the Black Order?"

Neah opted not to dignify this with a response, merely gazing at Cross through disdainful golden eyes.

"Why you little…" Grasping the butt of his Anti-Akuma firearm Cross leapt forward, planning to teach the arrogant punk a lesson that he wouldn't soon forget. "I don't give a fuck if you are Walker's brother, that won't stop me from kicking your ass."

A smirk played across the boy's face as he watched Cross approach him almost idly. The red headed Exorcist got to within a mere two feet of the now gray haired youth before an eerie melody filled the air. And as the music that seemed to originate from nowhere filled the air, Cross found himself unable to proceed further. It was as though he had run headlong into an invisible barrier.

"That was pitiful," Neah taunted, gazing at Cross intently as the young Exorcist fought against the barrier. "Please tell me that you aren't the best that the Black Order has to offer? Because if that's the case, then this war is going to be pathetically short and one sided."

"Damn you brat," Cross snarled as he struggled to reach the smirking teen who was less that three feet away from him.

"You could try using your Innocence," Neah suggested, smirk resolutely in place. "Not that I think you'll fare much better, but it's worth trying at least."

The fact that his opponent was offering him strategy tips in the middle of their battle caused Cross to grow so angry that he actually saw red. Once again, holding up the large firearm, Cross pulled the trigger several times in rapid succession.

"That's better," the arrogant youth stated as the bullets pierced the barrier, shattering it and flying toward him. Using a couple of thin golden threads Neah disintegrated the bullets, the smile on his face only growing wider as the red head's irritation grew. "It would have been beyond a tragedy to kill you without allowing you a chance to at least breech the barrier."

"You damn little…" Growls. "arrogant son of a bitch…" Snarls. "I'm going to murder you." Narrowing his red eyes in rage, Cross rushed toward the boy, swinging his fist in the direction of Neah's face.

"Now that's no way to behave during a battle," Neah chastised mildly as he effortlessly dodged the attack. "You're losing your temper and as a result, your giving me even more ammunition to use against you."

"That's it!" Raising Judgment, the Exorcist leveled it at the younger teen's head. "I've had enough of these childish games…"

Neah' cruel golden eyes narrowed at this point as he prepared to launch an earnest attack toward Cross. Up until this point, he had merely been fending off Cross' attacks but now that he had gained a feel for what the red headed fool was capable of, he was prepared to end this once and for all.

"Neah! Cross!" Seemingly coming to his senses, Mana quickly stepped between the two combatants. The fact that his brother was actually fighting against them had caught him off guard and caused a tremendous amount of internal strife, but the sight of the two of them preparing to kill one another effectively brought him back to the present. Just in time to see exactly how dire the situation truly was. "Both of you stop it!"

Slightly taken aback by this low and commanding tone, both combatants simultaneously focused their gazes on Mana.

Confident that Cross wouldn't interfere, Mana strode over to the spot where his brother was standing, seizing him by the collar of his shirt and pulling him forward. When there was but mere inches separating them, Mana spoke, his tone leaving absolutely no room for argument or protest. "What has gotten into you? You're not the boy that I remember…"

"You're right," Neah said, pulling free from his brother's grip and putting some distance between them. His tone was harsh but there was also the hint of a slightly dejected note in his voice. "I'm not."

Neah resumed his normal appearance as he abruptly turned away from the two Exorcists. He could feel a familiar summons and it wasn't one that he could ignore… at least not for very long. Berating himself for ever having revealed himself to the pair of them, he made his way back toward the bushes from which he had emerged.

"Neah…" Mana called out as the boy suddenly turned and began walking away. "Please… wait…"

The boy cast one last, scathing look in their direction before he stepped behind the bushes, the haunting music from before filling the air as he vanished from sight. Mana rushed forward, in an attempt to catch up to his brother, but when he reached the bushes, it was to find no sight of Neah.

It was almost as though he had vanished into thin air.

"Hey!" a voice called out from some distance away. The two teens turned their attention toward the approaching figure, noting that it was one of the members of their group.

"Please don't say anything about what just happened," Mana said, hating himself for the pleading note that was contained within his voice. He had never asked anything of his comrade but this was different. He had to find out exactly what had happened to his brother to turn him into the arrogant, seemingly cold youth that had been more than ready to kill the both of them.

Cross debated this request for a moment, watching as the man drew closer to them. It was unheard of for Mana to ask for anything and the red head vaguely contemplated all of the ways that he could use this to his advantage but then abruptly shook his head. "I won't acknowledge that brat's existence until I can beat the snot out of him."

Which was Cross speak for 'I'll help you get to the bottom of this'.

"Thank you," Mana said in a quiet voice.

"I'm so glad that I found the two of you… thought the Akuma might have gotten you."

Cross rolled his eyes in the man's direction. "You worry entirely too much Tiedoll."

A/N - End of the second chapter and the three teens aren't exactly on good terms. Hope that you enjoyed this installment, please leave a review and tell me what you thought.