Author Notes: They're taking the exorcists to Italy! They're taking the exorcists to Italy!! (Excuse my bad sense of humour with 'They're taking the hobbits to Isengard'.) OMG! WE HIT 10 CHAPTERS!! YAY!! throws confetti
Disclaimer: I don't own D.Gray-Man or anything related to it.
"Che… A family of traders huh…" Kanda frowned and continued to stare off into the distance as his grip around his katana tightened. No wonder both girls were so chatty; it's all because they're from a family of traders.
●Кαηδα Ġαιδεή●
Tiedoll took in a deep breath of the sweet Italian air before cupping his hands around his mouth and shouting out into the city centre at the top of his lungs, "Saluto Italia!" The white doves and the grey pigeons that had been pecking at bread crumbs left behind on the ground by the people who lived in the city all took off into the endless blue sky, leaving behind a deserted city centre.
Kanda raised an eyebrow at his master while the Chinese girls could only put on a face with several expressions mixed together. Picking up his suitcase from the floor and swinging it over his shoulder and holding onto it with his left hand while his right held his katana. Kanda left the side of the carriage and said coldly, "Thanks for the ride." Behind him, he could hear the unhappy complaints from Haiying who had her head poked out from behind the carriage's wooden wall.
Not long after, the girl's shouts and the sound of the hooves of the horses clattering along the road soon disappeared out of earshot, leaving only the sound of the fountain in front of them filling their ears. The fountain was chalk white and had several minor cracks in it while the lion that stood majestically at the top with water flowing out from beneath it and into the lower parts of the fountain.
Both master and student started to head towards the north east side of the city where the train station was situated. It was still early in the morning and people haven't woken up from their long sleeps yet. However, café's were open and the rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee floated down the street, filling up the pair's noses. Being an orphan who hadn't come across coffee before, Kanda scrunched up his face into a scowl at the smell while he was looking around, taking in the types of buildings that were around him and wondering to himself what type of place Italy was.
On the other hand, Tiedoll breathed in the scent of freshly brewed coffee and couldn't help but smile, "Ah, freshly brewed coffee; just the type of thing you need in the morning!" With that, the general quickened his pace and started to head to the café at the corner of the street, just opposite the train station. Staring at the disappearing figure of his master, Kanda sighed and rushed after him while his face was still scrunched up at the smell of the strong smell of coffee.
●Кαηδα Ġαιδεή●
Slowly sipping his warm cup of coffee and letting out a sigh, Tiedoll exclaimed "Italian coffee is the best!" The young Japanese boy who sat opposite to him looked out onto the streets through the large glass window of the coffee shop. People had finally started to wake up and start their day's work, rushing up and down streets to hurry to their jobs. Horse carriages travelled down the neatly paved streets, the horses' hooves making clip clopping noises as they trotted proudly down the streets.
Kanda's eyes wandered to the far left hand side of the window and stared at the black steam train that just pulled into the station. He watched with interest as he watched people tip large amounts of coal into a container that was semi-filled with the same black rocks. While that was happening, people with suitcases boarded the train after some other people got off the train and went on with their business in the city. Tiedoll pointed at the pitch black train, "That's the express we're catching." He quickly finished the remainder of the coffee left in his mug and left some coins on the table before the general picked up his bag and started for the door with Kanda close behind.
As the pair approached the steam train, a man in a neat uniform and a matching hat rushed over with a nervous face. His hands were gloved and a shining name plate glinted in the sunlight, "Excuse me sir, this is the first class car and only passengers with reservations are permitted to board the first class car…"
Tiedoll smiled at the nervous young man and replied, "We're from the Black Order, would you please prepare a cabin for the both of us?"
The young man looked at the rose cross on Tiedoll's uniform and bowed with a flushed face, "I'm very sorry sir! I'll arrange one immediately!" And with that, the young man rushed off into the train to make the said arrangements. When a cabin had been prepared for them, the young man rushed back to meet up with the pair and led them both to their cabin.
He helped them properly stow away their few pieces of luggage before he mumbled an apology for the inconvenience he had caused before he bowed a second time and shut the door as he retreated back outside of the cabin. Kanda stared curiously at the shining rose cross on his master's uniform. Tiedoll slid his index finger across the smooth surface of the rose cross and explained, "The rose cross on exorcist uniforms grants us permission to access any place in the name of the Vatican." Kanda blinked at the rose cross reflecting off the rays of sunlight that were spilling in from the window. Suddenly, Tiedoll asked, "When's your birthday, Kanda?"
"June 6th."Kanda replied as he slid the window open so that the light breeze that swept the salty taste of the sparkling emerald see could fill the cabin. As the breeze came in through the window, Kanda's long hair flickered messily in the wind.
"That's not very far away is it?" The older man studied the youngster's expressionless face before stating, "It's already May… Gosh, time flies." Trying to search for another topic to talk to his student about, he noticed Kanda's long hair being messed up by the breeze. "Why don't you cut your long hair? It'll be out of the way then."
The twelve year old glared menacingly at the older man, "That's none of your business." He had often wondered to himself why he had bothered to leave his hair so long instead of cutting it shorter. The answer never showed up and he had never bothered to think about the question much anyway.
"Hmm…" Tiedoll pondered to himself for a while before he reached into his pocket and rummaged around until he found what he was looking for and held it out in his palm for Kanda to take, "Use this to tie your hair up."
Kanda blinked several times at the two strings that were knitted together to merge into one string that was multicoloured. He took the piece of string and tied up his hair in a high pony tail while he left two thick strands of hair hanging by his face. "There, isn't that better?" Tiedoll smiled kindly at the Japanese boy.
●Кαηδα Ġαιδεή●
Long hours came and went in the spacious train cabin with absolutely nothing to do. But finally, the black train slowed to a stop at a busy and noisy station. Kanda's eyes shined with curiosity as he looked out of window at the grey sky with small flakes of snow gently floating down from high above. It wasn't the first time he seen snow, but the sky here was dull unlike the blue sky that could be seen in Italy and Japan. "Come on Kanda, we're getting off the train." Tiedoll motioned for him to leave the cabin.
Kanda tore his eyes away from the grey sky and hurried to pick up his suitcase as his master strode out into the hallway of the first class car of the train. As the pair passed other cabin doors, sounds of suitcases falling onto the carpeted floor with loud thuds could be heard. Arriving at the end of the car, Tiedoll pulled open the door and let in the cold air from outside before he stepped down onto the station platform while people rushed past him to reach their destinations. Kanda leapt off the train and landed softly on the concrete while he properly put on his jacket to shun his body of the cold winter feeling that surrounded everyone.
"Let's hurry along now, Kanda." Tiedoll smiled at him before he walked into the massive crowd of people. Kanda ran after his master, a part of him afraid that he'll loose sight of the general. But the gold and black uniform helped Kanda easily pick out his master from the rest of the crowd. Once they were outside the station and separated from the busy human crowd in the station, Tiedoll waited for Kanda to catch up. When the Japanese boy finally caught up and was within earshot, Tiedoll handed him a piece of neatly folded paper and instructed his student, "Kanda, I've got a small errand to run on my own. If I don't come back within half an hour, open this note and it'll have the directions to the Black Order. The note also tells you what to do once you get there." With that, his master picked up his own bag and merged into the human traffic on the main street.
And so for half an hour, Kanda sat on the roadside like he used to, hugging his knees to keep himself warm. Looking up at the clock that stood tall and straight beside the entrance of the train station, it read: 4:00pm. 'It's already been half an hour since the general left…' Kanda stood up on his feet and retrieved the note give to him before from his jacket pocket.
Unfolding it, he scanned through the neatly written note:
My dear student,
This is yet another test for you! Like I said, the directions to the Black Order are written in here but you will need to get there yourself. I'll be getting there myself via another route. I hope you don't get lost, Kanda!
Like Tiedoll mentioned in the note, the directions to the Black Order were neatly handwritten below the small message. When Kanda finished, he immediately grabbed his suitcase and ran to find the street that was mentioned in the directions because there was a time limit written at the bottom of the note: Be at the gates of the Black Order by 5 o'clock.
'Curse him and his stupid tests!' Kanda thought as a chain of different ways to torture his master afterwards came floating into his mind.