A harsh wind picked up as we made our way up to the main floor of the house. Dark clouds covered the sky and blanketed the horizon, and the aroma of rain was in the air. Dust and bits of debris made their way in from behind the door that Marian had kicked down, Neah and Mana saw the door and started to panic and scream.
"It was Cross, believe me! I just knocked, and he kicked down your door!" I defended myself. They turned to Marian, who was blowing out a puff of smoke on the top step.
"YOU JERK!" they yelled. Mana pushed Marian so that he started to fall down the stairs. Tim tried to lift him, but his tiny body couldn't lift the man. I laughed as I peered down the stairs.
"It was that or breaking the window," he groaned, standing to his feet.
"Come here, Tim." Neah smiled. "Cross isn't exactly the best role model in the world."
"You're telling me," I remarked. Cecil jumped on my shoulder and licked my cheek. "Last time I brought Cecil with me, Cross tried sell him for money to buy another drink."
"Would you all stop talking about me? Its annoying."
"Oh come on, can't we have a little fun?" Neah smirked, moving into the main room. He jumped on a couch, which caused a bomb of dust to arise. Mana and I started coughing. Cecil started to sneeze(like a kitten!).
"We have important business to attend to, and this is not the time for fun and games!" he growled. I leaned against the wall and crossed my arms. Total seriousness filled the room.
"A lot of weird events have been taking place around us," Mana started. "Not to mention the many akuma we've dodged within the past few years. Things are getting more intense."
"I have to agree," Neah spoke up, pulling Timcanpy's cheeks apart and squeezing them together again.
"There's been some fishy stuff going on."
I looked over at Cross who was analyzing their statements. I was deep in thought, trying to find a way to phrase the information that I already had yet kept from the brothers.
"There's a reason for this." Marian finally said.
"What is it?" Mana asked curiously. I could see that he really didn't want to answer Mana's question. "How bad can it be?"
"Fatal." was all I said. Neah sat up and Mana looked taken back. "One of you could die, or both of you."
"How-"
Our conversation was cut off by a knock at the still broken door. There was a pause, then they knocked again. This time, the door fell down from its position against the door frame onto the dirty floor. A shadow appeared on the doorstep, still like a statue. A flash of lightning lit the figure for a second before they started moving inside of the house. I put my hand on my blade, ready to unsheathe it for defense. Footsteps hit the floor softly as they slowly approached us from the hallway. The light from the room finally gave the figure some detail.
"Wait a second," Neah exclaimed. "Red?"
"Red," Mana went over a boy maybe a year or so younger than the brother and had longer reddish-brown hair with bangs. "How did you get here?"
"Well," the boy named Red replied modestly, "you told me you lived somewhere around here, so I made it a priority to find this place as quickly as I could."
"Why would you do that?" Neah questioned.
"You need someone to help hold this place down from the akuma, don't you? You did say they seemed to be coming after you more often."
"Hold on a minute," I burst in, confused as heck. "How do you guys even know each other?"
"When we went into town for some stuff, we bumped into Red here and we just started talking. Easy as that." Mana explained.
"You say you can protect these two from akuma?" Cross asked, directed at Red. "How is that?"
"I have Innocence." Red simply said. Everyone paused.
"You're serious?" I thought aloud. "You have Innocence?"
"He does, I've seen it in action too. He's not too bad." Neah spoke for him. "Show 'em Red, c'mon."
"Alright," Red removed his coat and hung it on a rack. Shuffling the sleeve on his left arm, his revealed a unique scar like design on his arm and hand. "Activate," he mumbled. It came to life, glowing until it became a huge claw-like weapon.
"Impressive," I nodded.
"So you do carry Innocence, but have yet to become part of the Black Order." Cross uttered.
"I haven't really thought about that- rather I don't really care to be in an Order that only deploys Exorcists on specific missions and not giving them a say in the matter." Red countered, gaining a smile from Cross.
"I like people like you," he slouched in a chair. "reasonable, freedom-loving people. If only I knew what joining the Order had meant before I did. Heck, this wasn't even a mission for me- I'm supposed to be somewhere in China right now checking out a rumor."
"So that's what your mission was," I realized. "I was wondering why you didn't tell me- we were heading in the exact opposite direction of China."
"Who are you guys anyway?" Red interrogated us. I unfolded my arms and rested my hands around my neck.
"I'm Winston. I'm not really an Exorcist, I just travel alongside Marian and help him out a little. Who knows what he would do without me? Cecil is like my pet, sorta, so don't set up any mouse traps for him please- that happened once at a bar and he nearly got decapitated."
"Do you have Innocence?"
"That's a tricky question, actually.." I mumbled.
"He won't be answering that either," Cross announced. All eyes went to him. He continued, "I am an Exorcist, almost a General actually. I have this," he pulled out Judgment, his gun. "Its bullets never miss, because when I assign them to a target, even if I miss, they home back to the target until they hit it."
"That's amazing- no wonder you're almost a General there." Red said, astonished. "Maybe you should give me lessons with Innocence."
"I can teach you in Weapon-type Innocence. You have Parasitic-type Innocence."
"Oh, is that what it's called?"
"Yes, and as much as I'd love to answer questions, we have some business to take of." he assured Red, but directed it at everyone.
"So...the akuma again? You said you knew why they were coming after us?"Mana spoke up after a moment of silence. I looked away. I couldn't watch this. I knew Marian would give it to them straight, without warning.
Quietly, I walked up the stairs to the rooms above us. No one heard me close the door to the room that the brothers had shared, once upon a time. I remembered climbing the same steps to this room with Neah and Mana and Cross when we were little and always getting into trouble. I touched the walls with fading paint, and remembered the many nights I had stayed over with them- telling jokes, staying up all night, and just plainly messing around. They were my best friends.
I went over to a desk in a corner of the room. Papers were scattered everywhere and a few pencils were on the cold floor. On the corner of the desk was a framed, black and white picture. I picked it up. In the frame was a younger Cross, Neah, Mana, and me. Smiling. Times were easier then- no troubles or worries. Now, we faced with everything, like the world was on our shoulders. Difficult choices had to be made.
Taking out the image, I turned it over and found a note.
Our friends, forever. Winny and Cross
A smile crept over my face, and a tear raked down my cheek. Somehow I knew that no matter what happened, things would turn out okay for us. I will protect them anyway- its my job.
