Yes, no beta. Sorry if it's messy.
Hope you like it.
Identity
Written by Aleviene
Beta by...no one.
"Earl-tama, we're home!"
Tyki and Road stepped out from a dimensional door, with Road obviously leading the way. Tyki was carrying a cube-shaped item, radiating a luminescent green colour.
"Congratulations~ did you send my message?"
"We did," Tyki answered while stepping away from Road to give the cube to the Earl. "And we got the Innocence from Siberia." Remind me never again to visit that place ever…he added in his mind. A few hours of freezing in the midst of a snowstorm was not his best idea for a vacation.
"Excellent~ now, let's eat dinner, shall we?"
"Earl-tama~ who's the 'other apprentice' in your message?" Road skipped around the Earl and sucked her lollipop happily. "I never knew that Cross had another apprentice!"
The Earl grinned at Road and petted her as a person would pet his cat. "Well, his name is Robin, and he's an Exorcist."
"Can I kill him?" Road asked in a slightly sadistic voice. "I need a new toy! Tyki's no fun to play with!"
"I'm not complaining about that…" Tyki muttered quickly before slumping onto a comfortable sofa bed. He took a newspaper from a coffee table in front of him and started to read.
"I'm sorry, Road, not this one," the Earl answered in an equally happy manner. "Robin is a special one."
"Why is that?" she asked again, curiosity portrayed in her voice.
"For starters, he's like Allen's twin. You wouldn't want to kill Allen, would you?"
"Never! But I'd like to make him suffer~"
"Yes, dear, you can do that. Another thing: he's one of us."
Road squealed in delight and jumped onto her umbrella.
"Ouch, Lero…it hurts…" the umbrella squeaked from underneath her feet.
"Is he a new Noah?" Road spun wildly in the air with her umbrella.
"Lero…Miss Road, please stop it…"
DING-DING-
"Oh, look at the time! We need to get to dinner quickly!" The Earl walked quickly towards the entrance of the room and went off towards the direction of the dining hall.
"Let's go, Tyki!" Road dashed forward, following the Earl. Tyki sighed heavily and placed his reading subject back to its place. He too, followed the two overly-joyful people with less enthusiasm.
As he exited the room, he thought of the Earl's peculiar behaviour when Road asked him the last question. Of course, Road didn't care enough to pay attention to trivial things. Tyki, on the other hand, was an excellent listener, even when he's preoccupied with something else.
"I wonder what the Earl's hiding…"
"Does Levrier and Two-Spot know about him?"
Komui smiled grimly at Lavi and shook his head. Lavi had a serious expression on his face, different from what he usually was, or usually acted like.
"You'd make Bookman proud…no, the Central doesn't know anything. Allen has even volunteered to steer Inspector Link away from Robin."
"I see…who else knows about Robin?"
"A few Exorcists, some trustworthy Finders. Other than that, only me, Reever, and Johnny. Some other people have seen him too, but we've told them not to tell anyone from the Central."
Komui sighed and pressed the 'stop' button, bringing the elevator into a complete halt. Four of them stepped out onto the Science Department.
"Well, I must depart! So long!" Komui skipped away happily towards what looked like the figure of a giant robot.
"Not another Komurin…" Allen and Lavi moaned in unison. They walked towards the cafeteria; it was already time for dinner, and who knows how many people will be there. Robin followed as well, his demeanour weak after all the burden he endured all day long.
Black Order Cafeteria – 18.30 PM
"You can stop eating so much now…"
Robin was eating twice as much as Allen's usual portion. His speed was almost impossible to follow, as he devoured foodstuffs and drinks that were placed on top of an overly-full dining table. Allen was not a bit surprised, since he'd eat as much if he was starving.
"Hmm? Mc'thryeh!" Robin mumbled without even stopping his eating pace.
"I believe he's saying 'I can't hear you'," Allen translated not too eagerly. Seeing someone with his face eat more than him disgusted him a bit. Do I always look like this when I eat? He made a mental note to eat with less…enthusiasm and with more manners later on. "I want to believe that he's still weak from all of that…stress he got from Komui."
All thanks to the boredom of Lavi and the kindness of Allen, there were no casualties that could've happened due to the amount of messed-up plates in the room that haven't been arranged in a safe and hazard-free order.
And Kanda just smashed another handful of plates into pieces. Almost everyone in the Order thinks that he needs to attend some kind of anger management session…but no one ever dared to ask him THAT. Those classes didn't exist long ago, anyway.
Robin kept on eating until he felt tired of it. Sure, his stomach (and his Innocence) could take another Chinese full-course, or a French dining experience. And perhaps, a smudge of Indian curry and some Italian pasta would do him well. But have you ever wondered how troublesome it is to keep on raising and lowering your eating utensils over and over again? This time, he experienced the same thing.
"I thought you'd never stop!" Lavi exclaimed while taking his time to stare at Robin's contented face.
"It was a bit…tiring," Robin answered. He picked up the napkin that was tucked inside his shirt collar and dabbed his mouth delicately. Anyone would think that he had graceful dining manners when he did so, if it wasn't for the mountain of plates stacked neatly in front of the boy's seating spot.
Correction: hundreds of piles scattered around the place, all inside the large eating area. Plus a few other piles stationed neatly outside the cafeteria.
19.30 PM
"You ate for an hour long. Impressive…" Allen himself never ate that long; he'd usually finish his meal in less than a quarter of an hour. Which is basically a great feat as well, considering that he could clean twenty plates in less than five minutes.
"Thank you for the compliment," he answered cheerfully, as if nothing ever happened to him in the past few hours.
Lavi yawned and stretched his sore limbs. "What a tiring day…I got to smack your he- mph! " Allen clamped his mouth before he could say anything else.
"What? Your he?" Robin pointed out Lavi's unfinished sentence questioningly.
"Oh, he means your, uh…"
"Your heart! I get to smack your heart with, uh, my powers of infectious…"
"Happiness!"
Allen and Lavi created a story that was amusing and unbelievable at the same time. Had Lavi been a humbug like Kanda, Robin would've known that it was a lie all along.
"I didn't feel very affected," Robin said shortly after a series of fake explanations, poker faces, and made-up lies.
"You have a good resistance, then!" was all that the duo said before running off towards their rooms, before Robin questions them again.
"I guess I should go to sleep…" Robin strolled calmly towards his room, trying to avoid eye contact. His eyes were weary and his whole body was begging for some decent rest.
I'll be having nightmares tonight…
Robin's Room – 21.23 PM
In the corner of the room, Robin sat on a small sofa, reading and writing in what seemed to be a tiny notebook. He mumbled incoherent curses and sighed heavily.
"Still a lot to go…" he closed the book in frustration. Engraved on its cover were the words: "DEBT BOOK – Cross".
"Damn…that guy never stops dumping his troubles on me…"
Robin was a kind person. The only time he became ruthless was when someone (namely Kanda) insulted him, or when something threatens him and his friends. He worked hard to pay his master's debts, be it by gambling, pawning items, doing odd jobs, or simply applying for a decent job. Sometimes he'd pose as a woman to obtain jobs that were strictly 'female-only'. His almost feminine face was different from Allen's manly one in many ways.
A mirror hung solitarily near a small wooden cupboard. Robin walked towards it and looked at himself.
I can still see him…
There were not one, but several figures in the clear glass. The most visible ones were two.
One was Robin, an expressionless face looking back at its owner.
The other was a large grin and a top hat. The Earl of Millennium watched over him carefully. He knew it was just his imagination, but sometimes it looked so real that its reflection became a solid being.
"Earl-tama, why are you looking at your plate?"
The Noahs and the Earl of Millennium were gathered together, eating in silence. "Our dear Robin is there~"
"Ooh, can I see?" Road was about to stand up, when the Earl suddenly raised his hand and made a 'no' gesture.
"We are in the middle of an important meal, Road. Perhaps after the meal?"
"Oh, alright then!"
"May I see this 'Robin' fellow, too, Earl?" Tyki asked in between his munches.
"Of course~ we all can see him~"
Road went back to consuming a platter full of chocolate éclair. Tyki nodded and grabbed hold of a lamb rack nearby.
Sitting on the other side of the table were two people, aiming a gun at each other. The two Noahs called Jasdebi, short for Jasdero and David, were trying to steal each other's coffee pudding.
"It's mine!"
"No! It's mine, heehee-"
Clang-
A sound of metal encountering glass resounded clear in the air. A woman was holding up her drinking glass and a fork in the other hand.
"Please stop bickering, you two. We are dining, not fighting."
"Lulu Bell~ that's no fun~" Road muttered slowly, emphasizing every single word she said.
"But Lulu has a point~ let's all finish our dinner first, then we can all play!" the Earl cut his steak into tiny little pieces, discarding the plate that had Robin's face on it before.
All the Noah continued to eat their meal, sometimes striking up a conversation where needed. The Earl grinned while observing his 'family'.
Robin…I'll be watching you…
"It's gone…" Robin touched his face and then his reflection. The Earl was out of sight; only his scarred face could be seen left on the mirror's surface.
Knock-knock-knock-
"Come in."
Allen pushed open the wooden door and bowed his head slowly. "I'm sorry for disrupting you over and over again, but I just wanted to know if you're fine."
Robin bowed his head in return. "Don't worry, I'm fine. Do you want to come in?"
"If you don't mind…"
"It's alright."
Allen closed the door behind him and observed the room. "It looks just like any other room, doesn't it?" Robin asked while toying around with his pen.
"I guess so…OUCH!" Allen winced from the pain inflicted on his left ear. A golden ball was hovering around him happily.
"Timcanpy, don't do that!" Without thinking, Robin shouted out those words, only to stop and stare at the winged ball. "How did I-"
"How did you know Tim's name?" Allen grabbed Timcanpy's tail held him tight so he doesn't fly off somewhere.
"I don't know…the name just popped into my head."
"Timcanpy is our Master's golem. Maybe you've seen it before?"
"I think so," Robin answered while nodding a few times. "I've seen something similar to it."
Timcanpy struggled to free himself from Allen's grasp. He bit the hand clutching his tail, much to Robin's surprise. The golden ball flew towards Robin and flittered around him happily.
"Tim likes you!" Allen nursed his bleeding hand and smiled. "He rarely does that to people, you know."
"I see…" Robin absent-mindedly sat on his bed, followed shortly after by Timcanpy. "Make yourselves at home."
Allen nodded and sat next to Robin, attempting to capture the small golem. Timcanpy grinned, showing his teeth, and danced around Robin. Allen let out an exasperated sigh and laid his head on the soft mattress.
"Tim, please don't do this to me…hmm?" Allen pointed towards a small box at Robin's left. "What's that?" he asked. Glancing once at it, Robin sighed.
"That's my music box…I always listen to its lullaby when I go to sleep."
"A lullaby, huh…"
Allen remembered the lullaby that he used to play since the Ark incident. The Fourteenth Noah's recollections were imbedded in his mind by his foster father, Mana. Being able to play the Fourteenth's Lullaby was a burden and a fond memory to him, since it was the only apparent tie to his past.
"Do you want to hear it?" Robin said, snapping Allen back from his daydreaming.
"O-oh, sure…"
With his right hand, Robin spun the handle of the music box carefully and listened for a click of its mechanism.
Click-
He placed it between him and Allen, closing his eyes to listen to the melodious song that started to play.
This song…is it!? Allen's eyes widened as he recalled the song that he knows by heart.
"Mana's song…" Allen was silent as he listened to the melody with Robin.
"And then the boy drifted off to sleep…" Robin started to sing in a melodic voice.
"Breathing heavily…" Allen sung together with Robin. Both of them were surprised that they knew the song by heart, but no one spoke a word of astonishment.
"…The flames within the ashes…"
Lenalee pushed away his brother's over-protective clasp and turned her head.
"Lenalee…my dar-"
"This song…"
"One, and then two…"
"This is…Allen's song…" Komui stopped his attempt(s) to hug Lenalee and became silent. All the scientists were silent as well, their work abandoned.
"It's been awhile since he sang this song…"
"Welling up that beloved face…"
"Ouch…huh? Allen…?"
Lavi was getting beaten by Bookman as usual because of his immature acts, when he heard it.
"Thousands of dreams fall upon this earth…"
"Stupid Apprentice…hmm? Is this…" Even Bookman stopped his lecture and stood there, listening to the beautiful song wavering in the air.
"On that night when your silver eyes tremble…"
"Concentrate…"
A gust of wind brought Kanda back to the state of awareness. It came with the voice of two boys, resounding in the early morning.
"This is…Moyashi?"
"A shining 'you' was born…"
CRASH-
"I'm sorry! I won't do it again!"
"Miranda…it's okay…"
"B-but…!" A gothic-like woman was crying frantically. Her plan to help others has failed miserably, resulting in her breaking…
"Uh, 20 plates…"
"I'M SORRY!" She bowed down low and picked up a plate shard on the floor.
"I'll atone for my wrongdoings!"
"Someone stop her!"
"Hundreds and millions of years…"
"Don't stop me…ah?"
Miranda and the people restraining her stopped moving and looked around for the source of the voice.
"No matter how many prayers are returned to the Earth …
"Eliade…" Silence loomed in the library. No one was there except for one particular vampire-like man. He brought with him a picture of his beloved one, tattered and torn from his fights and experiences.
"By the millions of passing months and years…"
Crowley looked up from Eliade's picture and tilted his head.
"I shall continue to pray…"
"…Allen?"
"Please, give this child love…"
"And a kiss…"
"…On the connected hands."
As their song ended, the music slowed down to a halt.
22.41 PM
"How did you know that song?"
"I don't know…"
"Where did you get that music box?"
Robin fingered with the item gingerly. "I don't know that, either…"
Allen dropped himself onto a comfortable chair and closed his eyes. "How could you not know…?"
"I'm sorry, it's because I'm not that Robin…"
And then Allen remembered that Robin was an Akuma: only the embodiment of another person.
"Who are you…?"
Robin smiled grimly and fell down on his bed with a thud.
"A mere Akuma who killed her own brother."
"…her?"
Another grim smile formed. "My name…is Julia."
Footnotes again.
-tama: A Japanese honorific, similar to -chan, but more playful.
Hope you like it. I had to put in something about Robin, right?
And because Shyion didn't beta it again, I'll put in another Extra Take (a.k.a. Omake, if you're more familiar with that term). Out of whim, of course.
---
Extra Take
---
There were many languages used by the Black Order, ranging from English as the universal one, to things like French, Japanese, Chinese, and many others.
Little did they know that one language emerged from a certain rabid eater's mouth.
"T'sdrschoss!"
"Ikw, i'sfntshtec!"
"What the HELL are you two saying!?"
"D'ntdrbs, Lvi!"
"W'rtinhr!"
Yes, the creation of the language of the Parters, also known as the Parasite-Type Eaters. And sure enough, even Crowley knew what they were saying.
"Allen's saying 'This is delicious."
"T'rgh!"
"And then Robin says 'I know, it's fantastic."
"Crowley-kins, I don't know how you do this."
"I just know it. And then after you spoke to them, Allen said 'Don't disturb us, Lavi!' and Robin says 'We're eating'."
Lavi slapped his head and made a mental note to add Partish to his list of learnt languages.
Kanda 'tch'-ed and walked away.
Crowley sighed and went back to his garden.
All the while, Allen and Robin devoured every single food supply for the day.
---
Something reflecting the words than Robin said in the story when he was eating. Allen knows what it means, too.
Hope you review. Or something like that. Anyway, thanks for all the reviewers and faves and alerts and...well, anyone that reads this story. Shyion will be busy replying reviews, because I don't know what to say.
1/3/09