Chapter Seven – Our Little Game
The room still rang silent even after the brothers had made their leave. We stared ahead of us, the military personnel looking back. We were stuck speechless at the story just told to us. I knew that at least I had made a personal connection on the level of remembering Mana. Now, it seemed that he was swarming my head. I couldn't shake the feeling that I knew more about their emotions than either Kanda or Lavi did, of course I knew neither on a great level of telling family stories by the campfire. They had their secrets, I had mine.
"Hmm, well, you're welcome to go after them, if you'd like. Although, I doubt you would get very far. That was a feat just getting them to tell you about it, so I wouldn't push it," Mustang moved back to his desk and it was as he spoke that I looked to Lavi and Kanda. We all had a determined look on our face, no doubt one to mask our true emotions. I fixed mine immediately, locking eyes with Mustang as I stood.
"We have to go report to Bradley-"
"No, you don't. You answer to me, not to him. As of now, whatever your supervisor had planned needs to be told to me. I am not letting you get tangled up in the President's mess," Mustang glared as I stood, but I said nothing of his harsh look. Lavi stood as well, walking over to the mans' desk and placing his hands on it.
"You could meet with him if you like. But, I think we need to go talk to him ourselves first," And with that, Lavi turned on his heel as he grabbed both Kanda and I by our elbows and dragged us out of the room. Kanda followed without a sound, a startled gasp the only thing that made it past my lips. My mind was racing with the story that had just been told, deeper meaning to Edward's words than was said.
"If you came here because you were sent to stop me, you can leave right now. I won't hesitate to get you out of my way if you show that you intend harm on Al or me. This is our mission; I don't want anyone getting hurt by this. As it is, people have already sort of invited themselves."
He took all of this on himself. He took all the blame so that his little brother wouldn't have to feel the pain of knowing disgrace and hurt. He did all of this in the hopes that the pain his brother was already undergoing was all he had to deal with. He did this all, simply so that there was no chance that Al would have to be called "A dog of the military," as he had put it. Ed took it all on himself to make sure that his little brother was okay. It was also evident that he wanted no one's help and that this was a solitary mission.
There was a part of me that understood this. There was a part of me that understood what he wanted, what he meant by wanting no one hurt. It wasn't physical, it was emotional. This was not a concern for their involvement in his mission; this was a concern of what would come at the end of it. Edward was watching out for what was to come at the end of the line when all was said and done.
"Oi, Moyashi, wake up," Kanda slapped a hand in front of my line of sight, waving it in attempts to break my train of thought. I looked to him with a glare for a second, then my eyes flitting behind him to the Arc. It was then that I realized I had probably been silent the whole time we walked all the way across Central and outside of the city towards a nearby place where we "parked" the Arc. I took one look at it and knew why Kanda had been so frustrated with me.
It seemed that during my thought, the Arc had started to respond to my heavy emotions and nearby presence. It was hovering, as if it knew that we were about to use it. I sighed, taking a step ahead of my friends and entering it. The white city that greeted my eyes was almost as pristine and white as it always was, except for the mud that our feet dragged in. That would be erased in a matter of minutes, jus as a cleaning mechanism of the Arc.
"We'll wait out here, Allen," Lavi offered, pulling Kanda to a stop as I was about to enter the control room. I nodded, not saying anything more as I entered the room.
"Hmm, seems that they have finally caught on," a voice rang in my head, causing me to look to the mirrors that decorated the walls. There, I saw the shadow that always was there but that no one else could see. There, I saw what was my true fear.
"To what?" I asked blandly, sitting at the piano and looking to it with heavy shoulders and sad eyes.
"To our little game," the shadow whispered as it snaked its way to the mirrors in front of the piano. Its hollow eyes and blank facial expressions had me looking to the keys of the instrument in minutes, simply to avoid being sucked into such a bland gaze.
Tim came and revealed the music, letting my hands dance across the piano as my mind got sucked into the trance that was the 14th. I played, letting the harmonious melody fill the room and travel outside to my companions to let them know we were on the move.
What companions?
My mind went blank, the only thought the song. There was nothing else, not even Tim as he fluttered above the piano. Who is Tim? The music filled my soul, taking me over completely as I continued to feel the smooth keys against my fingertips. There was nothing in this small white room except me and a shadow; one that I knew well.
"What game are we playing this time?" I replied, my voice a whisper as well. The shadow let his white teeth become part of his otherwise completely black being. A maniacal smile took over his lips as he continued to stare at me and watch as I lost myself in playing the song.
"The best one of all, Allen. This one…" He trailed off as I let my mind drift back into the song. The notes filled my ears, the song becoming who I was. This was now a part of me, the music my soul and the Shadow seeming to be me. This was who I was; there was nothing else. What is an Exorcist? Who am I really?
Thousands of memories of Mana came flashing into my head. There were tears, smiles, laughter, and depression. There was a time where I would cherish every small hug he gave me, cherished the time that I could spend practicing to be a clown. There was a time when that was all that I ever wanted to feel and all I wanted to do. There was a part of me who still wanted that, to very much still remain human and go back to being a small kid.
There was a stronger part of me that wanted the Earl dead.
Author's Note: I think that this was one of the best chapters so far. I really like the way that I wrote this... Did you enjoy? Read and Review please! thanks!
