Hooray! After toiling for a few hours, I finally managed to finish this!

Thank you MCRDanime and Shaybo27 for being my first reviewers! Props to them :)


Victim of Fate Chapter 2 – Innocence

Last time on Victim of Fate...

I don't want to die! She thinks furiously, tears running down her eyes as the ground comes close quickly.

I want to live, damn it! She repeats furiously.

I will not die!

"Krory!" she screams


The warm feeling in Stefania's right arm quickly envelops her entire body excluding her face. She finds a cloak wrapping softly around herself.

She immediately tucks herself into the cloak, covering her face with it. She knows that the cloak will protect her, for some strange reason. A second after she had wrapped the cloak around her, the impact shuddered throughout her body.

"Stefania… No!" Krory yells, despaired that the young girl, or so he thought, was dead. He lands softly nearby. He rushes over to her side, confused on when the cloak had found its way onto her. He had not seen a cloak like this one before. The cloak was made of the softest white material he'd ever seen. On what appeared to be the back of the cloak laid a teal lightning bolt. Protruding the teal bolt was blue and black streams of what seemed like electricity, spreading in jagged edged across the entire cloak. They appeared to be glowing. The lump under the cloak shifted to show Stefania, relatively unharmed

"Ary-kun…" she whispers, looking at Krory with wide teal eyes. She then gives him a sudden hug, jumping into his arms, crying. Their reunion is short lived when they see a large fire dragon come out of the hole of the castle. "Stefania, you have to stay here. I'll be back in a moment." Krory promises, giving her a quick kiss on the top of the head and jumping to the hole. Stefania scowls.

She looks back at the spot she landed on. She nearly does a double take when she sees something in the hole. Inside lays a pure white flute with a blue jagged lightning bolt going down it.

Stefania picks it up after inspecting it from a distance. The flute is surprising light in her hand, she can barely feel its weight. She brings it to her mouth and gives it an experimental blow.

A sweet, pure sound comes from the flute. Stefania smiles, her blue orbs wide with excitement. Could this flute possibly have another power other than sounding absolutely heavenly? She hears more crashes from above, and she decides to give it a try before they end the fight.

Bringing the flute back up to her lips, she tries to make a light, airy sound. The effect is instantaneous. She begins to float in the air, making her up towards the hole in the wall.

20 seconds of playing later, she steps onto the hole of the wall.

"You!" yelled an ugly monster from across the room, vaguely reminding Stefania of Eliade. "You shall die along with Krory!" the monster rushes as the brunette. Without time for Krory or the others to react, Stefania brings the flute to her lips and manages a loud shrilly sound from the flute. Immediately, the monster stops.

"You little bitch!" it shrieks. The flute's sound is obviously painful. "Try playing without water!" it yells after it recovered. It attacks, sending out bubbles. Stefania sends out another shrill note, this time destroying all the bubbles the monster throws at her. It hovers there, dumbfounded. "How could you possibly…" it murmurs.

Krory takes the chance to bite his fangs into the monster, sucking all the blood out in a matter of a minute. He then looks at the monster with mournful eyes, "I'm so sorry Eliade…" he murmurs.

The monster just smiles lightly, "Don't worry about it…" she whispers. She then disappears in a burst of dust.

A few minutes of silence pass as Krory looks at the arms which once held Eliade, the dust blowing away from his fingertips.

Looking at Krory was enough to make her bring the flute to her lips once more. The cavern began to fill with the sound of melancholy music. It starts out as a whisper, something you just barely hear on the wind. It quickly grows until the song is echoing throughout the entire castle. The music begins to spill out of the hole into the wall, spreading until it reached the country-side.

The mob that had been waiting for the return of Allen and Lavi could now hear the music. They all thought the haunting song had come from God, for they had never heard anything so passionate, sad, or pure in their entire lives. The mob quickly grows to tears, as well as the remaining women and children in the town.

After what seems like hours, but minutes in reality, the young woman set the flute down from her lips, ending the song with a long note. Tears she refused to have fall stung in her eyes. Slowly, she walks towards Krory, flute in-hand.

"Ary-kun?" she whispers, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. He remains where he is, unmoving. She sits down next to him and puts her arms around him in a soft hug. Her head on his shoulder, she breathes in his clean scent of fresh plants. Suddenly, she feels exhausted. Taking a final deep breath, she falls asleep.


Stefania feels herself fall off of her soft perch, falling to the ground with a thud. She yells, "Damn it, Eliade!" she begins to get up, brushing the dirt off of herself, "If you wanted me awake then you should've just…" she glances around, eyes growing wide. She appears to be on a moving train, and the only person in the car was a small old man who a strange ponytail.

"Gomen'nasai!" she says, bowing slightly at the old man. Even though she had no clue where the hell the train was, she wasn't planning on acting rude because of it. What would the old man think?

"You didn't happen to see a man in his twenties and in a black cloak around here, do you?" she asked after the man didn't respond.
"Yes, they left the car a few hours ago." The old man replied who then turned his head to look out the window. That was obviously all she would get from him.

She bowed again slightly and left the car. She began to wander down the train, going towards the third class area. After passing several cars filled to over-capacity, she walked into the caboose. On the floor sat Allen, Lavi, and Krory with a few strangers. They appeared to be playing cards.

"Ary-kun! Where are your clothes!" she squeals, looking away and covering her eyes.

"I apparently bet them away. Allen is helping me by winning the clothes back." Krory explains sheepishly.

Stefania takes a quick peek at Allen and nearly does a double-take. The friendly Allen who could do no harm to his friends looked like he turned into a monster while playing cards.

"Allen… are you alright?" she asks warily.

"I'm perfectly fine, Stefania. There's no need to worry about me, I've got everything under my control. You should be worrying about those three in front of me!" said Allen, an evil gleam in his eyes.

In front of Allen sat three men. One has a hat, another one with short brown hair, and the other has messy black hair and thick glasses which block the view of his eyes. The man with the glasses looks like their leader.

"What the hell is it with men and gambling! Not only does Ary-kun gamble away his clothes, but you do too?" she shrieks, shielding her eyes once more, "We're lucky Allen can actually play cards or else all the men would've lost their clothes!"

A groaning sound comes from beside Allen. "So I'm not a man to you?" Lavi says, disappointed.

"No, you're more like a dog that wants attention. An ugly dog." She retorts angrily.

"So harsh…" he says, placing a mocking hand on his heart.

Stefania's right eye twitches. She turns away and opens the car door, "I'm going back to our room. You all better have your clothes back by then, or I'll toss you off the train!" she calls over her shoulder as she shuts the door.

She walks away, looking out the window as she passed through the different cars. Suddenly, she realizes that she didn't ask them why there were on a train. She sighs after giving herself a mental face-palm. I'll ask them later, She thinks

She walks back into her own car-room, slamming the door shut. I seem really irritable for some reason… she thinks. Luckily the old man wasn't there and couldn't scold her on her manners. She was alone in her room as she took a seat next to the window. She decides to take this moment to look more at the whistle on her neck. Placing it in her hands, the white whistle appeared to be like any other, except for the fact it had a small blue lightning bolt on it's body. Curious, she placed her finger on it. The whistle started emitting a bright light, which made her place a hand over her eyes. When the light stopped, she gazed in amazement at the whistle.

It had turned back into a flute, and it was still the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen.

After admiring it for a few minutes, she brought the flute up to her lips. She started to play out a soft tune, thinking of Krory. With all of her concentration, she begins to play a soft, slow song. She placed plenty of high notes, for those, she found, were the best sounding on her flute. She continued to look out the window, the night sky passing by her in a blur, but the moon stayed in the same position.

At least one thing never changes. There'll always be moon phases. She thought as she continued to play. As the thought of the moon passed by her, she changed her song to sound mysterious and lonely. Stefania found that she almost never had a take a breath, and that she knew all the notes by heart with her flute, something she hadn't noticed before.

She brings the flute down onto her lap after finishing the song and sighs heavily. She hears a quiet applause coming from the door. Startled, she nearly jumps several feet in the air. There stood Allen and Lavi, clapping at her.

Angrily, she stood up, "And what exactly did you do that for? Scare the crap outta me again and I'll be sure to get back at you!" she shakes her closed fist in their direction.

The applause stops and Allen smiles apologetically, "Sorry, we were just listening to you play. You sound amazing."

Stefania feels the blood rush to her cheeks, so she quickly turns her back at them.

"It was nothing, really…" she says, dismissing it with a waving hand.

Turning back she asks, "So, where are we exactly?"

"We're on a train, bozu!" Lavi says, wrapping an arm around Stefania's shoulder. Quick as a flash she hit him across the head.

"I'm not a bozu, baka!" she retorts angrily as he cradles his injured head, fake tears going down his eyes.

"We're headed towards the Black Order. There you and Krory will be able to learn more about your Innocence." Allen explained while Lavi continued to whine.

"Alright then… if Ary-kun is alright with it, I am too." Stefania says, shrugging indifferently.

Krory stumbles into the room, this time fully clothed. Stefania smiles at him and changes the flute back into the whistle which falls back on her neck.

"So what were you doing in the caboose with those shady men early, Ary-kun?" Stefania questioned, an eyebrow raised.

"I… got lost." Krory says, looking down sheepishly. Stefania laughs loudly and smiles at Krory.

"Don't worry, Ary-kun, we'll fix your sense of direction sooner or later!" she reassures him, placing a comforting hand on his arm. He just smiles sheepishly down at her once more.

Suddenly, Allen's left eye activates.

"There's an akuma nearby…" he says, opening the car door. Through the window we can all see a several large Akuma coming our way.

They all rush into the hallway as the akuma appear to be splitting up, going towards different sides of the train.

"We should be able to split up and get them all, there are only four of them." Stefania says seriously. She immediately goes towards the caboose of the train where one of the akuma is going.

Activating her Innocence, she grips it in her hand. As she opens the door to the caboose, she freezes.

The akuma is sitting right outside, just following the moving train. It does not appear to be attempting to attack it. Inside the caboose, where Allen and the strangers had played cards, stood a gray-skinned man with a formal suit and a top hat. His black hair is slicked back underneath the hat, and underneath his left eye laid a mole. But what caught Stefania's attention he most was the 7 stigmata on his forehead, which was partially concealed by his top hat.

They stood there looking at each other, Stefania with wary eyes and the man with playful eyes.

"Hello, my darling. My name is Tyki Mikk. Such a pleasure to meet you…" he says after a few moments, bowing down. "But you should know you've come earlier than expected. We are sadly not ready for you yet, I'm so sorry for the inconvenience."

"What are you talking about?" Stefania asks cautiously, still gripping her flute.

"Why, you'll join our family soon enough, my darling." Tyki says casually. Taking out a packet of cigarettes, he holds one out for her.

"Care for one?" he asks.

"I don't smoke." She says, still glaring into his eyes untrustingly. He sighs and puts the cigarette in his mouth, lighting it. Taking in a huge breath, he then blows out all the smoke in Stefania's direction.

Stefania doesn't react, letting the smoke hit her face and poison her nose.

"Why, exactly, should I have to join your family when I have one of my own? Ary-kun is all the family I need." Stefania asks.

Tyki chuckles lightly, "Have you ever wondered why you don't have a normal life? Why you don't have actual parents?"

Stefania stiffens slightly and says, "I have Ary-kun, he's all the family I need. I've told you this before."

"Ah, but you didn't answer my question. I already know the answer, though." He says, blowing out another plume of smoke.

"For your information, your parents are dead. Do you want to know what killed them?" he teases slightly, giving her a small smile.

When Stefania doesn't answer, he continues.

"They died by your precious Ary-kun… he stole you from your parents after he killed them." Tyki says, obviously enjoying it. "Is that really the kind of family you want?"

Stefania stands there, frozen. Could Ary-kun have actually done that? Her eyes widen.

"Ah, so it finally hits you." Tyki says, amused once more. He takes another long drag from his cigarette before crushing it under his foot.

Stefania raises her flute in the blink of an eye, her eyesight hued red with anger. She plays out a short tune with loud crashes and angry notes. The flute immediately takes effect, the air around them loud with the crackles of electricity sounding around them. She keeps her eyes glued on Tyki, who still smiles. A strange wardrobe appears behind him.

"Au revoir, my little Stefania. We will meet again. Remember what I told you." He says, grinning maliciously. He turns to walk into the wardrobe.

Blinded by anger, Stefania points her flute at Tyki and yells, "Release!" In that moment, all the electricity that had gathered in the room rushed to her flute. The flute, now supercharging with energy, released out a large blue lightning bolt from the tip of the flute. It goes straight through the door, breaking it. A large BOOM echoes through the car and the surrounding area.

"Road, another one please." He says simply, turning his head to watch Stefania.

Stefania, on the other hand, had just nearly collapsed from the exhaustion the move had given her. The door reappears and Tyki gives a small wave before disappearing. Stefania is on her hands and knees, trying to recover. She remembers that there is an akuma outside the car, which is now coming closer and closer, aiming the guns towards Stefania. She, however, had no strength to move or play her flute.

Suddenly, the old man she had seen earlier comes into the room. The akuma is immediately covered in needles and explodes. The old man looks down at her and places a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Come, we must return to the others." He says, sounding more like an order. Stefania forces herself to stand up. The flute had turned back into a whistle and was smoking slightly, probably from using that large attack. Following the old man, she met up with the others. Everyone seemed to be alright, but it was obvious to Krory that she was exhausted.

"Are you alright? We heard a large explosion come from where you were, I was so worried!" Krory said, giving her a quick hug after checking to see if she had any prominent wounds. Stefania flinches slightly at his touch, the words Tyki said still echoing in her head.

He stole you from your parents after he killed them…

"I'm fine…" she says tiredly, giving Krory a small smile, "Just a bit tired is all."

"Junior, you must have more awareness of your surroundings and never let your guard down. I won't save you again." The old man says sharply

"But Panda-jiji…" Lavi complains. The old man hits the red-head upside the head.

"My name is Bookman. Not Panda-jiji, Junior." Bookman says, staring at Lavi with cold eyes. Lavi cradled his head.

"See how much he hurts me?" Lavi complains once more.

Stefania chuckles lightly. "You two are such close friends; it's kind of amazing of how close you really are! It's hard to imagine how long you two have been together to form that deep a relationship."

Lavi and Bookman share a glance; for once Lavi isn't smiling or making a joke out of it. Stefania walks towards the door to their car, intending to sleep off the exhaustion.

Once she places her hand on the handle, however, pain blossoms from it. With a sharp gasp of pain she releases her grip and looks at her hand. Her right hand is burnt severely, the stinging sensation of cold air only just now becoming painfully aware. Nearly all the skin had been burnt off or is peeling away. It was truly a horrid sight, and Krory hadn't noticed her hand, which was strange.

Bookman immediately went to her side and gentle lifted her arm to the light so he could see. Narrowing his eyes, he pulled down her sleeve. Stefania's eyes widened as she saw the sight.

Starting from her burnt hand, a long strip of burnt skin twirled up her arm, looking more like a black ribbon. The strip continued up arm, but it was obvious she wasn't going to take off her shirt to look at the extent of the injury. She hadn't felt the pain of this before she saw the injury itself, and now her entire left arm was laced with extreme pain, almost driving her unconscious.

"I don't think you're alright, Stefania." Allen whispers, frowning in concern for his friend.

"Stefania…" Krory whispers, concerned and baffled. He hadn't looked at her hands, apparently, because he was sure she had looked perfectly fine.

Stefania puts on a brave face for the others, smiling lightly.

"It doesn't hurt too much, you should stop worrying!" she lies in a forced cheerful tone. She pulls her arm away from Bookman and pushes the sleeve down it again, succeeding in almost making her pass out from the pain. But she continues to smile.

"All I need is some rest is all!" she said cheerfully once more. This time, she forces herself to open the door despite the pain is brings. Closing the door on the people outside, she lies down on the soft cushion. Careful to make sure to place her arm in the comfortable position possible, which wasn't very comfortable, she immediately falls asleep.


Alright, Chapter 2 is DONE. It appears both Krory (not a big surprise) and Stefania have Innocence! Next chapter will be the introduction to the Black Order.

So, Shaybo27 was correct about Stefania having Innocence! Congrats, you get a cookie.

Here's a quick Japanese lesson, for those who don't know the general slang many anime-writers use.

Gomen'nasai: I'm so sorry, or just i'm sorry.

Baka:Idiot, an insult.

Bozu: Kid or squirt.

Jiji: Actually means Gramps or Grandpa, funny because my grandpa's name was Gigi, pronounced the same as Jiji here. This means that I would call my grandpa 'grandpa gramps' if I was Japanese :P