*~kaden of fuad~*
Kaden Fuad trekked along the lonely streets, his face carefully hidden beneath a hooded cloak. The day was bleak and cloudy, so no one threw him any glances.
He had just recently arrived an hour after dawn and was planning to stay no longer than a day. After breakfast and a quick sweep of the town, he'll move on to the next. He's been doing that for months and every time he caught up with Nalia, she always vanished.
Hearing his stomach grumble, he walked into he closest food shop. He didn't have much money on him, so he would have to find a temporary job soon. Usually it was hunting or helping out a black smith, but that was rare. Usually, he'd do an odd errand here or there for shop owners or kind strangers.
He bought himself some bread, cheese and chicken for sandwiches, and a few apples. He also had his canteen refilled with water, leaving him set for the day. He ate while he walked, always observing those that walked by. When he heard a few children mocking and chanting a song about an unfortunate woman, he shook his head and kept moving on. Why do humans feel the need to ridicule others?
As the morning moved on, the town sweep went without problems. Eventually, Kaden came upon a small circus being advertised. He contemplated on whether to go, but decided against it; he had other things to do. Kaden turned just in time to bump into an older man. His head bent up to apologize automatically when he noticed his eyes. Even though the man was smiling, his eyes were dead and lost.
"Excuse me, sir." Kaden spoke quickly. "I really need your help." He grabbed the man's hand and led him away before he could protest. They jogged into an alley away from people, going deep inside.
Kaden threw the man forward then stepped back. In one fluid motion, he had pulled out his bow, strung it, and had a metallic arrow pointing at the fallen figure.
Slowly, the man stood and faced his attacker. "Where is Nalia." Kaden demanded. There was not a hint of doubt, hesitation, nor mercy in his voice.
The man continued to stare, then let a wide grin appear. "Not here." He chuckled in a voice not his own.
Kaden waited a moment, looking at the still grinning face. "Thank you." He said before releasing his arrow. It pierced the man straight in the forehead, the arrow going through the skull, then liquified in the air as it returned to his hand as a silver thread.
The body fell back, smiling, then turned to smoke before even touching the ground.
Kaden sighed, letting the metal retreat to his back. An akuma's – or rather, the Earl's – answer can never be trusted, he had learned that a long time ago. But he always asked that question, as a way to show he was still playing.
He tugged at his hood to hide the eyes that easily gave him away and left the alley.
By noon, the most populated half of the town had been searched through. The other half was plainer, and more rundown, a place an akuma could hide from view. He walked slowly, making sure to look everywhere and at every person that walked by.
At some point, he heard small footsteps trailing behind him accompanied by a softly sung melody. It was an eerie tune and Kaden couldn't make out the words. This person, female by the voice, was following him. The Earl's doing.
Kaden quickened his pace, leading the person into an old, large house. He ran in and ducked under the stairs off to the side.
The footsteps paused and the song became clear.
Sennen ko ha sagashiteru
Daijina hearto sagashiteru
Anata ha atari tashikameyo (1)
The singing stopped. Kaden waited a moment before creeping out. The room was empty, and with the windows boarded up, dark as well. He moved cautiously and scanned what he could see, deciding to leave before anything else happened. That person had mention the Millennium Earl and he had no desire to do more than what was agreed.
His hand had barely gripped the doorknob when a sharp object poked him on the back. It felt uncomfortable, but didn't necessarily hurt. Kaden turned to face a young girl with spiky blue hair holding the umbrella he'd seen with the Earl. She had playful, yet darkened eyes, but not an akuma's.
"Can I help you?" He asked carefully.
"Maybe..." she smiled. "I'm looking for innocence, Mr. Exorcist.
Before Kaden could respond, the pumpkin-head umbrella broke into a fit of hysterics. "Road-lero! What are you doing? Don't talk to him-lero!"
The girl twirled it in annoyance. "Aww. But I just want to have a bit of fun."
As she continued to spin it around, Kaden's hand shot out and grabbed the umbrella. He brought it close to his face to examine. "You belong to the Earl, don't you?"
"Of course I do-lero! Now unhand me-lero."
Kaden ignored it and looked at Road. "Are you close to him?" He asked, referring to the clownish man.
"We're family." She answered, then grinned slyly. "You look a little too calm speaking about him."
This time, Kaden smiled. "That's because I'm playing a game and as long as it's going on, I can't be attacked."
Road pouted, apparently annoyed that this had been kept a secret. "Game? What kind of game? Can I play?"
Kaden was about to deny her request but thought about it. "Well...this is a game of hide and seek. I'm the one looking for a specific akuma by the name of Nalia. Maybe you could give me a clue."
"Nalia..." Road tilted her head in thought, then eyed the umbrella. "Lero, you know, don't you?"
It's mouth gaped open. "W-w-what? That is the Earl's business-lero. You're already interfering too much-lero."
Road huffed. "Fine, but I still get to play with the other exorcists."
That comment brought a frown to Kaden's face. "Exorcists? Here?" He sighed. "I can't let them find me."
"I can help!" The girl announced and in an instant, Kaden fell unconscious on the floor. "There. Now he can dream until the town stops rewinding. We should go check on the other four akuma; they seem to be having too much fun." Road inserted a colorful piece of gum in her mouth as she left to the top of the building.
~oOo~oOo~oOo~oOo~
Kaden awoke to a tingling feeling on his hand. He opened only one eye, not wanting to completely leave the soothing dream he was now having trouble remembering. Once he saw the giant hairy spider, he jerked his hand away and sat up. What...He looked around the empty room in confusion. That little girl had done something to him, but he shrugged it off since he felt fine and all. As long as she was gone without wounding or killing him, it didn't matter.
He stood and dusted himself off; so, the Earl has family who appears to be just as creepy in that same happy way. Hopefully, he wouldn't run into her ever again. Kaden walked out into the bright light and continued his search (after a quick meal) just to be sure that Nalia wasn't hiding there.
It was sunset by the time he was done and, not having enough money, snuck into a stable to sleep next to the horses. As soon as he woke up, he would head out to the next town and start the search all over again. Light throbbed softly, reminding him he had another job. Don't worry, Kaden thought, I'll save every soul that comes my way, as long as you give me strength, I'll free them for you. Then, he slept.
The End...?
Road's song. It translates into:
The Millennium Earl is searching
He is searching for a precious heart
Let's check to see if you are it.
The story is at a pause here, until I write more for the 'sister story' (Prisoner) since Kaden finally made his appearance there. It you're curious about Nalia and whether she'll be saved, well, there will be a chapter about that, but not for a while. If you took the time to read this, I thank you from the bottom of my heart (and thanks to juniperlei, FlamerGurlStrikesAgain, Chibi-Kyuubi-Chan and Loretta for reviewing. You guys made me incredibly happy ^^)
