Disclaimer: Noblesse isn't mine.

Awaken (Part 4: M-21)

"Here," M-21 held out the box of pocky with one stick poking above the others like a pack of cigarettes, "Tao bought this for you."

"It's open."

"I was hungry."

Regis pulled the stick out and nibbled on the chocolate end. "Frankenstein doesn't like us eating in the lab."

"I don't think he'll mind this time." He flipped the lid closed and laid the box on the ground in between them. "You have to keep up your strength, right?"

"So you ate my snack?" Regis closed his eyes as he rested against the door.

"I left some for you." Silence settled over them, and he glanced over at the kid. Regis' breathing was normal now. His chest rose and fell at regular intervals, but he hadn't moved since he had arrived. Was he really okay? "It's not like you to sit on the floor like this. Can't say it's elegant."

Regis' eyes cracked open slightly, but he didn't look at his friend. "I just wanted to be near him."

M-21 leaned back against the door, mimicking Regis' relaxed stance. Energy buzzed in a steady current from the room behind him, and as Frankenstein had commanded, neither of them had tried to enter. Rai still slept inside. "How is he?"

"A little more stable now. It'll be better once we complete the shrine."

"Frankenstein's pushing himself pretty hard to get that done. I've never seen him so tired." M-21 moved his elbow to lightly tap against Regis' arm. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm fine. I can't complain when Frankenstein's doing this all by himself."

"I thought you were helping him."

"Heh." An exhausted smile crossed his face. "I am no where near powerful enough to be of any use to him. The only thing I can do is put up a force field around the bed while he forges the shrine. Even then, he has to concentrate his powers away from us, or he would easily break through my shield."

"You got that tired just by putting up a shield?"

"You've seen him fight. Try blocking him."

"Yeah, I see what you mean."

"What about you? Should you be here if school's going to start soon?"

"I guess I should go. The kids will be worried if all of us disappear." M-21 shoved himself to his feet and dusted off his uniform. "Hey, Regis… how have the kids been?"

"I don't know. I left with Frankenstein after it happened." Regis fetched the box of pocky from the floor and grabbed another piece before holding the package up to his comrade. "I imagine they would be upset."

M-21 stole a stick of pocky and tossed the box back. "Keep it. It's yours." The elevator brought him to the ground floor before he had enough time to finish the treat. Tao gave him a look of disapproval but said nothing. He would have taken the pocky, too. "Where's Frankenstein?"

"He's asleep." Takeo answered with a hair band between his teeth. He pulled his hair up into a ponytail and quickly tied it back.

"Still? He didn't tell us what we're supposed to say to the children." M-21 turned to Tao expectantly. "They're going to ask."

"They already did last night. We had to make an excuse to leave so that we could think of something." Tao slipped his feet into his shoes and stood in the foyer, waiting to leave. "And we still couldn't come up with anything. We'll just say that he's in the hospital doing tests, and Frankenstein and Regis are with him. We won't know anything until the tests are done. That should last until Frankenstein gives us a better explanation."

"That's not going to work. Yuna saw Frankenstein here last night. We can't just say he was at the hospital."

"When did that happen?"

"She came back after you guys left."

"Great." Tao sank to the ground, sitting on the step in front of the door. "Do you know how hard it was to convince the boss to take a break? Seira had to promise to keep watch all night and to get him if anything happened to the shrine. I told him that everyone left so he wouldn't have to explain his condition or what had happened to his master. It's going to be impossible to make him rest next time!"

"She didn't get a good look at him."

"Well, talk to her to make sure."

"Wouldn't you be better at that?"

"But I wasn't there for it!"

"Quiet down." Takeo pulled his tie around his neck and twisted it into a knot. "As hard as it was to get Frankenstein to go to sleep, do you want to be the one to wake him?"

"It is already too late."

All three of them turned toward Seira then looked past her at Frankenstein. Tao was the first out the door. He grabbed Takeo's tie and yanked him forward before he had time to react. M-21 lingered in the doorway and lifted Takeo's shoes from the floor. Tao hadn't even given him the chance to change out of his slippers.

Seira poured a cup of coffee and handed it to Frankenstein. "There were no changes in the shrine. Regis is now keeping watch."

"Yeah, I just checked on him. He's fine." M-21 grabbed a can of juice from the left over drinks Yuna had put away and searched through the bag of sweets. "They both were."

Frankenstein sighed with relief. "I'll go see to them"

"Hey, boss." M-21 tossed him a box and stuffed a second one into the breast pocket of his own shirt.

"What is this?" Frankenstein stared down at the package. Chocolate mushrooms with crunchy stems looked back up at him in a gaudy display. His eyes shot to M-21 for an explanation.

"You're going to be working hard, right? Gotta keep up your strength somehow."

"Sugar will only give you a momentary burst of energy followed a rapid decline, and I don't allow food in my lab. This is the sort of thing I expect of Tao." Frankenstein kept the package anyway and tucked it into his lab coat. "But I appreciate your concern."

M-21 shrugged. "I'm sure you have everything covered, but call us if you need anything."

Frankenstein nodded as he headed for the elevator. "Don't be late for work."

"So," M-21 glanced at Seira as she hurriedly washed out the coffee pot. Takeo's shoes still dangled from his hand. "Can I walk you to school?"


I adore chocolate mushrooms. If you haven't had them, they're mushroom shaped chocolates. No real mushrooms involved.