Author's Notes:

It's seems that I am back for another chapter! I must confess that it might be too early because I haven't written a single word for the next chapter yet and May will be a hellish month.

Oh well. I guess I stop rambling and just give you the warnings, right?

Warnings: Not quite spoilerish guest appearance of Howard Link, Ellen's almost M-rated manipulation skills, and improper use of Timcampy (what the hell...?)

Disclaimer: D.Gray-Man belongs to Katsura Hoshino

Kanda and Ellen had been in Rome for about one week now and even though Kanda would nearly go as far as confessing that he enjoyed spending time with Hanako, he was getting anxious.

"What are you doing anyway? It's not as if you've made any progress!", Kanda called when Ellen wanted to leave the house.

"Don't be silly, Yu Kanda. I've just finished my information gathering. This here is enemy land after all. I have to be very careful", she replied with a smile, but Kanda walked up to her and blocked her path. Ellen just raised her head and smiled up at him. "Are you trying to reason with me again?", she wondered and Kanda snorted.

"Even if you're not going to listen, witch, it's my duty to do it! Don't go destroying lives!", he hissed and Ellen laughed quietly.

"I wouldn't do that", she said, then put her hands on Kanda's chest. He looked down at her, eyebrow raised. "Dear Yu Kanda. Put some faith in me", she whispered and slipped past him, her hands ghosting over Kanda's chest. Her touch made him freeze and she took the moment to leave the house and slip into the shadows of the next ally. As soon as she was gone Kanda hit the wall with his fist in frustration. She was evasive, sly witch! But there was no sense in going after her, so he just had to wait patiently.

-o-o-o-

Ellen looked back to the house and saw that Kanda was retreating. Her attentive eyes scanned the area; today was the council – she had to act now. It was a slight inconvenience that Kanda was present, because she needed the house and she most probably wouldn't be able to prevent him seeing her. She could of course cause some disturbance which would keep him occupied for some time, but she didn't deem it wise to mess with Yu Kanda right now seeing as he already was quite irritated with her. She didn't have any other choice; she would need to gamble and hope that he wouldn't disturb her plans.

Ellen walked around the town, gathering information, until she came back to her starting point. It was all ready now, her 'victim' would arrive shortly and if she delayed him, she would delay the whole meeting and the consequences of it as well. With alert eyes Ellen spotted a person coming, walking towards the stairs. It was a young man in a brown uniform with blonde, braided hair and a bag strapped to his back. He seemed to be in no hurry, but his steps were still fast and steady and his face was pretty determined. The Noah watched him pass the ally without even seeing her and he started climbing the stairs to the upper square.

"Now is the time", the girl thought and raised her hands in front of her. The sky – which had been clouded all day – began to darken and first drops of rain fell lightly. The man didn't even react, but Ellen hadn't suspected it to be otherwise, such things wouldn't delay this man. She slightly turned the wrist of her right hand and slowly the strap of the man's bag was beginning to come undone until it opened with a snap and slipped from his back. He turned around just in time to see it falling down, caught by a sudden strong gust of wind. It opened and documents started to fly everywhere and when the bag hit the ground it made a loud crashing noise and something clearly broke. Ellen could hear him curse and he started jogging down the steps as the wind began scattering the papers and the suddenly strong rain drenched them in water. Ellen stepped out of the shadow to gather the sheets of paper just when the man arrived at his bag.

"What peculiar weather", Ellen remarked as she approached him. He was on his knees and took out was seemed to be a broken typing machine. "Your papers are all wet…"

"It seems so… How unsightly. And now I cannot retype them", he said calmly, standing up, his bag in his arms. He finally looked at the Noah and widened his eyes when he saw her. According to his involvement with the Vatican and the Order, she had chosen to appear to him in her normal form, including scar, white hair and Innocence hand. Ellen just smiled and held out the papers to him.

"I have a typing machine, my house just happens to be the one over there", she said and pointed to the near house, "if it helps you, you can use it". The man sceptically raised a blonde eyebrow, but her smile was rather convincing, so he just nodded. "I have a telephone too, if you need to make a call".

"It will be alright. Thank you", he said and Ellen, papers still in her arms, led him to the door. He followed her inside and up the flight of stairs.

"It is in my room, do you want a towel and something to drink?", she asked and he looked at her, his green eyes studying her, "I am Ellen Walker by the way. Nice to meet you"

"Howard Link… Nice to meet you too…", he said, backing away slightly from her charming smile.

"I'll get you a towel and something to drink then! Make yourself at home!", she said and pointed at the open door at the end of the corridor. When he nodded and walked off, she also turned, only to find Kanda open the door and stick his head outside.

"What's the commotion?", he wanted to know, his face a frown.

"A young gentleman has some problems. I'm just trying to help. Do not worry", she answered with a smile, but Kanda just snorted at her.

"I'm sure you're his problem!", he hissed after her, as she walked down the stairs. At the bottom she looked up at him and smiled sweetly.

"Do not concern yourself with this, Yu Kanda. What I am doing with a gentleman in my room is not your business", she said and he was quite taken aback by her words. His silence seemed good enough to the Noah and she disappeared out of his view. Kanda was still standing at the top of the stairs, looking down indecisively, but then he turned on his heels and went back inside of his room, closing the door after him. If she really just had a man over at her room then is was none of his business, but if she just had him over to mess something up, then it was of his business. He couldn't know right now and it didn't seem wise to go and talk to the man. The Noah had said that she was merely buying time for the Earl and that he should just let her do as she pleased because it would also benefit the exorcists. Kanda decided to wait and see what happened, he could still intervene if something bad occurred. She wouldn't kill the stranger, she didn't seem like someone who got her hands dirty, but the thought of what the witch would be doing to the man was also quite disturbing. It was better not to think about it…

Meanwhile Ellen, with juice and a towel, returned to the upper floor and into her room; it was a heavily decorated bedroom with a queen-sized bed. The blonde man was sitting at a small round table, in a big, slightly worn armchair which had warm pastel-coloured flowers all over its cover. He was going through his wet papers calmly, his broken typing machine on the floor next to his feet.

"Here you go, Howard Link", the Noah said, put the glass on the table and handed him the towel. The blonde man took it wordlessly and started towelling his hair, while still looking at his files. "This seems quite important"

"It is. I must hurry now, the meeting can't start without these documents", he said and the Noah went to a drawer and pulled out a black typing machine. She carried it over to the round table and set it down. Link looked up at her smiling face and his eyes lingered on her, while she started combing her finger through her wet white hair.

"Be my guest", Ellen said, pointing to the typing machine, and the young man averted his eyes quickly. He cleared his throat, his cheeks slightly red from embarrassment. Ellen looked him up and down with a small smile on her lips; he was rather good looking, even though he had a stern expression most of the time. "You're still very young, Mister Howard Link, but judging from your uniform, I think you must be an important person"

"I'm an inspector of the Vatican's special auditioning committee", he replied and started typing. "But what are you, an English woman, doing here on your own?"

"Why do you think I am?", she asked and Link frowned, still blushing, "This house belonged to my late husband, he acquired it on one of his many educational travels around Europe"

"I see…", the blonde man said quietly and his typing was the only thing resounding in the room.

"You don't need to worry. I'm an honourable woman", Ellen said with a smile and Link stopped typing to look at her sceptically. He lowered his gaze as she just smiled at him and then he nodded, seemingly lost in thought. Ellen was quite content with how things were progressing. She could manipulate objects and even nature but not how people perceived her; it was pure chance. Ellen had guessed that it was enough to just delay the young man a bit and that rewriting the documents would be enough. But she didn't have any qualms about taking it further and Howard Link was responding very well. She wasn't playing around with men, she didn't even see it as an act of pleasure, but another side of her nature. It was what she did; she didn't care, it was just work.

-o-o-o-

Kanda was sitting in his armchair and tried not to listen to the obvious sounds coming from the other room. It was annoying and it was scandalizing, but he should have expected the Noah to go that far just to mess things up for the exorcists' side. But he couldn't just go in there and stop them, could he? Maybe the man was just an ordinary man she had met on the street and decided to spend some time with him. Kanda doubted it, but even he wouldn't go as far as to barge in like a betrayed husband who found his wife committing adultery. The Noah was a grown up woman – even if she didn't look like it – she had been married and was now a widow. She must have seen quite some things and gotten over her purity long ago. Not that a Noah could ever be considered pure, vile creatures as they were.

"Damn them all", Kanda cursed under his breath and his eyes fell on Timcampy, who was sitting on his bed-post. Maybe he could manage to get her to stop after all…

-o-o-o-

Ellen shot up as she heard a voice in her head, making Link, who was just trying to kiss her, miss.

"Damn you, witch! What do you think you're doing?!". Ellen squeezed her eyes shut, trying to ignore the voice pounding in her head. Link lifted his head from her shoulder and looked up at her.

"Is something the matter?", he asked, his hands gripping the flesh of her thighs. Ellen put on a smile.

"I swear, if you don't stop soon, I'm going to walk right in there!"

"Of course not, Howard Link. It has been some time since I've last had a man's warm hands on my body. I guess that am no longer accustomed to a loving man's touch", she whispered and dropped back into the covers, reaching up to caress the handsome face of the man. Link was still blushing, but that didn't stop him from continuing their little passion play. Ellen admitted that, even though he seemed to be rather ashamed of himself, he was an exceptional lover, maybe even rivalling Tyki Mikk.

"Is this stupid golem broken or what?!". Ellen hissed from the loud, almost painful buzz in her head, but her voice was easily drowned in the small gasps which came from the man above her. She tried to concentrate on him alone, blocking out Kanda's persistent nagging.

"You don't seem to be interested in what I have to say. Well, this doesn't surprise me" Kanda's voice reappeared, "But I wouldn't have thought that your manipulation includes such low things. I should have known though; if you don't even have any qualms about destroying entire villages, the step to prostitution is not that big". Ellen raised her fist and banged it against the hollow wall, trying to make Kanda shut up. It was quite surprising that Link hadn't heard Kanda yet, but he seemed to be too absorbed in the thing he was doing and Ellen couldn't blame him. She was absolutely sure that she could enjoy it if Kanda continuous buzzing voice didn't make her nearly sick. It was not surprising that she was rather relieved when Link's and her love making found completion. The young inspector didn't lose any time and left the bed, still panting slightly.

"Seems that he's done. It took him over 20 minutes", Kanda remarked and Ellen could have done without his comment. She put a sweet smile on her face, still lying on the bed, resting against the head-board. Link watched her from the corner of his eyes while getting dressed.

"I have not asked you, but are you by chance an exorcist?", he wanted to know, eyeing her Innocence hand and Ellen smiled again.

"My... Yes, I am, but I've only been so for some days, I will make my way to the Black Order soon", she said and Link nodded wordlessly.

"This is good to hear"

"I told you… I'm an honourable woman. Now that my husband is dead I have no reason to shun the life as an exorcist. But I am content to have been able to make your acquaintance", she told him and Link sat back at the table and continued typing.

"We might see eachother again. I sure hope that this will remain a secret between us. I am not supposed to be spending my time in the company of women", he said calmly, still typing steadily.

"Of course. If we met then it might as well appear that we are strangers", the Noah said with a smile and watched Link work. After a while she got dressed and Link finally finished.

"Thank you for your hospitality", he said and put his papers back into his bag.

"It was my pleasure. Take care of yourself Howard Link", Ellen said with a smile and he left the room after making an embarrassed grimace. Shortly after he was gone Kanda decided to appear in her door frame. Ellen smiled at him, but he just snorted.

"It reeks in here. Open the windows"

„I would welcome it if you didn't try to invade my privacy. It was rather awkward to have your voice in my head while I was obviously trying to enjoy myself". Kanda snorted again.

"Pity", he said and Ellen eyed him with some reserve.

"Pity you say…", she refeated putting her head to the side slightly, studying him with a calm face. Kanda's sneer disappeared as Ellen walked up at him, looking at him intensely. He felt heat radiating from her body, her usually white cheeks were slightly red and her hair smelled probably like the man who just left. She took a step nearer to him, raising her hands to his chest. "Are you sure?". Kanda just stared at her, not able to say anything as her right hand moved up to where the markings of his curse were. It was a strange sensation to have her hand touch him, it felt as if the fabric of his shirt was not even present. It was warm, but sent shivers down his spine. It was like watching her caress the hourglass of the Lotus.

He pushed her away.

"Stop that! It's disgusting!", he said and turned his back on her, "I'm not someone you can mess with any longer!". As he turned around again he saw the Noah study him calmly, hands folded and lifted up to her mouth.

"Pity…", she imitated him and then she vanished in a hole which opened up at her feet. Kanda was still just standing there, doing nothing, then he heaved a deep sigh.

"It feels as if I just missed a chance… I wonder how many I have left", he muttered, then he heard the door bell ring, "I need to get her on our side… But not like this!".

Kanda left the room and went down to open to door.

"Hello!", his sister greeted and Kanda looked at her; she was pretty drenched, her hair clinging to her face. "Strange weather…", she continued with a smile and Kanda let her in.

"Hanako, what brings you here?", Kanda wanted to know and observed how the rainwater dropped on the carpet of the entrance hall, "I'll get you a towel". The woman nodded with a smile and went into the kitchen. Kanda found her looking out of the open window when he came back with a towel and a dry dress he had found in a wardrobe.

"Is Ellen out of the house?", his sister asked and took the towel while Kanda put the dress over a chair.

"She just left", he told her and Hanako nodded, towelling her long hair. Then she got out of her dress – Kanda looking away – and switched into Ellen's. It fitted somehow, even though Ellen was shorter than Hanako.

"Are you sure that I can just borrow her dress?", she asked and Kanda just shrugged, which made Hanako laugh. "May I ask what she is to you? Not possibly your wife?". Kanda grimaced at her.

"What are you thinking? Of course not! She's a witch, you know this! I could never love someone who messed up my life!", he hissed and Hanako frowned at him. She sat down on the chair and focused her eyes on her brother's face.

"Messed up your life? Why are you saying that?"

"Hanako, that's nothing I want to talk about", he told her and his sister snorted slightly, "don't pull that face"

"You're not better, Yu… You are aware that Ellen probably saved my life by guiding me to Rome? And you were bewitched, so that you could live on", she tried to reason with her brother, but Kanda just shook his head.

"She's the one that –", he stopped himself and just lowered his head, "it's okay. It doesn't matter". But this made Hanako even more sceptical, he should have known.

"I have the feeling that you misjudge her…" Kanda remained silent, "fine. If she's as bad as you make her sound, then why are you staying with her?"

"It's my mission to do so. I have to keep a close eye on her", he answered and Hanako raised her eyebrows, which made Kanda shake his head, "It's complicated…"

"That's what you always say! Don't treat me like a small girl! If it's so complicated then try to sort it out!", she told him. Kanda didn't want to say anything to that, so Hanako stayed silent as well. This would probably have gone on for a long time, had not the Noah decided to return to the house.

"Hanako Kanda, how good to see you", the white haired girl said with a smile. Hanako got up from the chair at once and smiled in return.

"I got in the rain and Kanda made me borrow one of your dresses. I hope that it's not inconvenient for you", she said and Ellen shook her head.
"Of course not…". Hanako looked back at her brother with a smug face as if this proved that Ellen was a good person. Kanda just snorted because there was no sense in being rude with his sister. "Is there anything you needed?", Ellen wanted to know.

"Not in particular. I just wanted to visit you two, but my brother doesn't want to talk to me", she said.

"That's not true, don't be silly Hanako", Kanda argued. Ellen just looked at them both with mild interest.

"Kanda, my mission here is over. If you would like we can return to the Black Order", she said, which caught Kanda's interest immediately.

"Return? Now?", he asked and Ellen nodded. He threw a glance at Hanako, who just looked at him.

"Well, if you must return, then do. Don't worry about me, I'll do fine", she said, but Kanda was not happy to leave her again, not that soon. But from a work-related viewpoint there was no sense in delaying their return any longer. They could not afford to lose precious time.

"Hanako Kanda, why don't you come back with us?", the Noah suggested and Kanda raised his head at once.

"What are you saying?! She's no exorcist!", Kanda objected, but Ellen just smiled at him.

"You are a nurse, aren't you Hanako Kanda?", Hanako nodded, "The infirmary of the order could surely need reinforcement".

"That sounds nice! I would be able to spend a bit more time with my brother", the black haired girl said and turned to Kanda, "don't you think?". Kanda nodded, but sceptically. That the Noah offered something like this aroused his suspicion. First they go to Rome, there they find Hanako and then the witch convinces her to come with them. What if she just was a tool in one of the Noah's schemes?

"I'll go ask the matron", Hanako said, "I am pretty excited". The young woman left the house, which gave Kanda the opportunity to talk with Ellen. Being alone with her still made him uneasy, perhaps it was the aftermath of their rather strange conversation earlier.

"Don't you dare to use my sister for any of your conspiracies", he warned and Ellen smiled at him, "I mean it"

"Of course. I'm just thinking about your well-being. I thought that you wouldn't like to leave your sister, now that you've found her"

"How considerate of you", Kanda mocked, but Ellen just smiled.

"You better get ready, Hanako will be back soon"

-o-o-o-

Hanako came back after two hours and she had two suitcases with her. Kanda and Ellen had switched back into their uniforms.

"You look splendid in these uniforms", Hanako said and inspected the golden emblem Kanda wore, "being an exorcist truly seems to have its merits".

"The infirmary dresses are quite nice too", the Noah said and Kanda just rolled his eyes.

"Aren't we leaving yet?", he urged and Ellen smiled at him.

"Of course", she closed the door behind Hanako and put a key in. As Hanako observed how the Noah locked and unlocked the door, Kanda decided to explain what they were doing.
"Don't talk to anyone about how we travel. This is a special ability of her that I don't want the others to know of yet", he said and Hanako nodded with a confused expression on her face, "we will travel through space. That's the positive thing of having a witch with you". Ellen opened the door and she stepped inside, the two following. Contrary to what Kanda would have thought they didn't arrive at the Piano room, but found themselves on an open street. Kanda turned around and saw the double doors of a Londoner hotel behind him.

"We departed from London, we should return form here", the female Noah explained and started to walk away in the direction to the railway station. Kanda didn't bother asking why she thought that this would be better.

"London sure is nice…", Hanako said, while looking around, "such a busy town!"

"Rome is splendid as well. The ruins of antiquity are to be admired", the Noah remarked and the Japanese woman nodded with a smile.

"Do you really think they will employ me just like that?", she wanted to know when they boarded a train, having easy access to a luxurious compartment thanks to the two exorcists.

"You are not compatible with Innocence, but now that you are coming with us I will see to your safety", Kanda replied and sat down next to his sister, clearly avoiding the Noah.

"That's very responsible of you, dear brother", Hanako said, mocking him a bit, but Kanda just ignored her.

"Because our field of work is very tightly connected to death, also our own, the people don't really allow us to have contact with family members", Kanda explained and saw Hanako's puzzled look. "The Earl makes contracts with people. But the price is always death. If I were to die and you were informed of it, then there is a possibility that you will make a deal with the Earl, calling my back to life in form of an Akuma. That is to be avoided at all cost"

"Hn, but is still sounds inhumane to deny people to have connact with their loved ones. I would never know about your well-being then"

"You wouldn't, but you can't cry about me either, because you can never know for sure whether I've died", Kanda replied and looked at the Noah, who was just smiling at him slyly. "But I cannot die". Hanako looked at her brother's grim face, then she turned her head to look at the Noah.

"How can you have the power to make someone immortal? It exceeds my imagination", the Japanese woman admitted. Ellen looked at her and smiled.

"I did not give him immortality. He can die and he probably will die sooner or later", Kanda snorted, „I just made his body immortal, but his life is connected to some items and they will take the damage for what his body would sustain. He won't age, he won't get sick and he won't die from an injury. But he might die if his time runs out".

"That sounds… awful", Hanako said and looked at her brother. Kanda ignored her, looking out of the window. "Is there no way to escape it?".

"Escape immortality and eternal youth?", Ellen asked with a doubtful smile on her lips, „who would possibly want such a thing?"

"You still don't understand the burden, do you?", Kanda spat, turning his head to look at the Noah.

"Yu...", Hanako tried to calm him, but he still glared at Ellen. The Noah sighed and shook her head.

"Life can be a burden, but what else had you expected? I am not the one who made you compatible with Innocence", she told him quietly and Kanda glared at her angriliy.

"How would I know?! Maybe you placed the Innocence in the cave? Because right when I found it, Akuma started to appear!", he shouted and Hanako gave up trying to calm him. The Noah was still unaffected by his words and sighed again, looking to the side calmly. Kanda just put his hand to his forehead and tried to cool down, there was absolutely no sense in blaming her. Even if she was guilty, he had no way to prove it and it wouldn't help their already tense relationship. "It does not matter right now", he forced himself to say, "But do not speak lightly of what I had to go through because of you. Maybe your spell did save my life various times, but it did not spare me the pain and the fear. I acknowledge the effort you must have put into it, but stop speaking of it as if it didn't concern you". Ellen closed her eyes and nodded.

"Very well", she said and the compartment fell into silence.

To be continued

Notes:

I hope I didn't scare you too much. (I love Link... There should be more of him.) As you can see, Kanda could probably have had her... But he spoilt it. Shame on him.

Still no English spell-check on my computer...

Opinions? Thoughts? Ideas? :3

P.S. I surprised myself and DID start writing the next chapter. But 700 words do not count as an achievement yet. However, if things go according to plan, a big part of Kanda's past after his encounter with Ellen will be revealed. I look forward to it! :D