Disclaimer: I do not own any part of D. Gray-man nor any of its characters. I can only close my eyes and quietly play dress up with said characters in my head and hope I'm not desecrating Hoshino Katsura's work too much.
For those of you who care, Author's Notes will be at the end of every chapter and any and all questions will be gleefully answered if asked.
So, so you think you can tell Heaven from Hell, blue skies from pain.
Can you tell a green field from a cold steel rail?
A smile from a veil?
Do you think you can tell?
Neah thought they were going to a small town in Australia, that this would be just another run of the mill Innocence collection mission. Well first of all, he couldn't have been more wrong when he said that the town was small. People bustled back and forth giddy and full of spirit. Some even carried large buckets filled with muddy rocks, though closer examination revealed those rocks to be gold. Second, the mission ended up being anything but ordinary, but he was getting ahead of himself.
Bathurst was said to be the gold mining capital of the world and Neah could believe it looking at the sheer abundance of the precious metal lying around. Lizzy and Cross were standing slightly apart from each other, not ignoring but still not appearing quite comfortable around one another. Neither said anything but they didn't have to, both Neah and Maria could see that something had happened between the two close friends and it was something only they could fix. Maria was sitting under a building in the shade sipping a cool glass of water looking wonderfully content.
Poor Maria, she'd been overworking herself and had fainted back at her base in Arizona while carrying a box of medicine for the injured. The base, naturally concerned, gave her some forced leave in order to regain her strength. Knowing that she would sneak out and continue working if left to herself, her friends saw fit to kidnap her and bring her on their next Innocence mission. So here they were now in eastern Australia trying to recover Innocence and to preserve their freindship.
"I think Maria has the right idea, why don't we take a few minutes to cool off and reorient ourselves. After that, we'll begin the usual questionings and start tracking down the Innocence. If luck is on our side, we'll be out of here by sunset." Lizzy said with confidence, knowing that no one would dispute her. Neah smiled lovingly, that was Lizzy for you, always ready to take charge and get things done. She looked lovely today with her hair tied up and her coat abandoned, letting him fully appreciate how much leg her shorts revealed. God he loved life. Cross stretched and ruffled his stark red hair.
"Sounds like a plan, anything to get out of this blasted sun." he said, retreating under the building with Maria who pinched his sunburned cheeks
"Good idea Mari, soon your face will be as red as your hair." He slapped her away and they began their usual playful bantering as Cross stole her water.
Lizzy was looking at a map, not telling Cross to behave or really saying anything at all to him. They'd been fighting recently over something, but Neah couldn't figure out what. He felt like he should know, but whenever he started to think about it just sort of… slipped away, sort of like water off of a duck.
Even his disturbed feeling about this memory loss didn't seem to weigh too heavily on his mind.
"I think we should start down by the river, where all the mining has been taking place. The finders reported most of the obscurities taking place by there. We'll decide what to do from there." What other girl could be so smart and look so beautiful at the same time? Neah leaned next to her and threw a lazy arm over her shoulder on the pretext of looking closer at the map. He tried to pretend that such contact was normal and was not making him feel all bubbly inside.
"That looks good to me, how far is the river?" She didn't move him as she studied the map closer. He smirked to see Cross glaring at them from his spot in the shade. Neah threw him a challenging grin, daring him to do something. He was going to have to try a little harder if he wanted to best a Noah.
"Not that far, people are walking there, looks about three-fourths of a kilometer. Think you can make it that far?" she teased, looking up at him with a twinkle in her eyes. She was so close, he could just…
"Lizzy! They got lemonade over here; you better get out the sun before you burn too." She grinned as Cross held up a cold glass of lemonade. Damn him, Neah cursed. Damn him for tempting her with cool, refreshing drinks. Sure enough, she abandoned him to grab the drink with delight; Cross threw him a smug grin. Neah frowned in irritation and wondered if that red hair of his would make him burn faster. Neah stomped over to where they sat, the girls looking cheerful as they enjoyed their cold beverages. He slid between Lizzy and Cross, Cross tried to block him, but Lizzy obligingly made room.
"Good idea Cross, I think I'll have one too. How much are they?" Cross narrowed his eyes in understanding. Lizzy looked up innocently, and being the sweet girl that she is, pushed the glass to him.
"Don't be silly Neah, just share with me." He smiled at her, all the while feeling Cross's glare burning holes in his head. He took a long sip, enjoying how he could still see her beautiful return smile through the sugary liquid.
"Thanks Lizzy, that really hit the spot, would you like any Cro-"
"No thanks, I'm fine." His friend said, turning away from them. Neah smirked victoriously as he took another sip.
Neah-1 Cross-0.
Maria coughed loudly into her fist.
"Phew, I don't know about you guys, but I feel sooooo much better! Are we ready to begin our Innocence hunt? It's been such a long time since I've actually gone on one of these. I've had to stick to taking the Innocence of pretty young boys." Maria said loudly, snuggling up to Cross who immediately backed off. The mood lightened again and Neah was thankful once again for her good timing.
"I agree, let's head out and see what we find." Lizzy said standing up as she took the glass from Neah's hand and finished the rest. He could still feel her hand on his as she grabbed the glass from him. Cross slowly stepped up to her with a light expression on his face. Neah frowned, what was he up to now?
"You got some lemon on your mouth." Cross said smoothly, as she brought her hands to her face. Neah sneered. There was nothing there, if there was, he would have told her himself. Cross brought a hand up and gently brushed him thumb along the side of her lips. "There, now it's gone." He said softly as he looked into her eyes. She quickly turned red and looked away, thanking him with a slight nod. Neah glowered, alright they were even… for now. Maria came up between them and slung an arm around Lizzy and Cross's necks.
"Goodness you kiddies sure like to dilly dally, come on we have Innocence to find!" She said quickly dragging them along still in their headlocks. Neah raised an eyebrow, it was times like these he felt that Maria knew he and Cross had feelings for Lizzy. He brushed off such silly thoughts and followed them. They chatted amiably as they walked. The sun wasn't quite so oppressive now so even Cross had stopped complaining about the heat. Neah walked behind Lizzy; from here he could watch her hips sway oh so elegantly back and forth.
"You pommies (1) lost or somethin'? I've never seen you around here." A masculine voice said, grabbing their attention. It was a tall, muscular man in his late thirties with short cropped brown hair with a matching mustache. His pale yellow eyes observed them as he shifted the large bucket in his arms. "I'm Orville Legrand; I'm the overseer for the mine. Can I help you with something?" Lizzy tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and stepped forward.
"Well I sure hope so. My colleagues and I represent the Vatican, our scouts have discovered some unusual activity around here and we were sent to investigate. Is there any chance you could tell us what is going on?" the man's cheerful smile fell into an annoyed frown.
"Great, now the church is looking for money. Sorry little sister, we aren't giving any more handouts, so if you and your little posse would just leave and tell all those other deros (2) to leave too-" He reached a meaty hand to push Lizzy aside. Neah stepped forward with Cross right beside him.
"Hey, don't you touch her! I don't know what your problem is, but we aren't here to steal anything from you. We're representing the church trying to help you." Neah growled, glaring at the man who would dare touch his Lizzy in such a way. Neah wasn't one for violence, but if this guy put so much as laid a finger on her, well principles were meant to be broken right? The man took a step back seeing the livid look in his eyes. He stared down at them and sighed in frustration.
"I say my prayers every night so I want to believe you, but we've had so many blokes begging for money recently and well…" He sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah I guess it's been kinda weird here. About three months ago I was walking along an old section of the river when I saw it was completely covered in gold. I couldn't believe it. That part of the river had been cleaned out for years. And it was just in time too, we were running low on funds and everyone was getting antsy. Now it doesn't seem to stop, we get fossiker's (3) out here to mine it all and the gold comes back overnight!" His face lit up with excitement as he thought proudly of his extraordinary windfall. His face then morphed into a frown.
"Of course people talked and soon we had blokes coming from all over. I think one or two of them were real scientists, but most came out for our sudden wealth. You name it, every moocher, freeloader and beggar seeking money for something or other. We even caught a few of those molls (4) actually trying to steal our gold behind our backs. It just goes to show you can't trust anyone in this world." The kids exchanged looks. It looks like Innocence was to be found here. But how could they get it when this guy would barely let them in, much less trust them? Neah cleared his throat.
"Look, we're not here to take anything from you. We just want to investigate in the name of the church. If it makes you feel better, you can escort us around just to be sure." Lizzy shot him a look, but for once her opinion didn't matter. It really hurt to oppose her like this, but if he could just find the Innocence before Cross, well that would really impress her. Besides, it was still early, he had the rest of the day to woo her.
Orville rubbed his lip suspiciously before giving them a nod to follow him. Neah smirked; he could be very persuasive when he wanted to be. The older man led them around the river telling them about its long and glorious history. They merely rolled their eyes and searched the shoreline for any obvious signs of Innocence. Neah shivered, despite the sun beating warmly down on them, he felt oddly cold. He rubbed his arms and ignored the strange sensation, chalking it up to his Inner Noah messing with his head again, little bastard could be a real pain in the ass sometimes.
The four of them walked, silently communicating through their body language. After all the time together they've spent together, there came a point where words weren't really necessary to express their feelings and not even the best poker face could keep their thoughts hidden.
Maria shuffled her feet as her eyes glazed blearily over the beautiful landscape. She was still worried about her damaged base and it was obvious that she didn't want this forced vacation.
Cross tried to look stern and serious as he scanned the shore, but always managed to have his attention diverted elsewhere. He, like the rest of them, was too exhausted dealing with his own life to try and really focus on the mission.
Lizzy played with her hair keeping a noticeably fake smile on her face. She couldn't ignore the obvious tension between them forever, but dammit was she ever trying. It seemed like she was smiling all the time these days, as if it would somehow manage to keep their little group from crumbling under her.
Neah ran a nervous hand through his hair. They were really falling apart; they needed a vacation… an actual vacation. Orville stopped and glared at a worker collecting gold by the river bank.
"Danny! I know you are new and everything, but you should know better than that. Large pieces go in this basket and-" Neah didn't hear the rest because he was already gone. The chilliness he felt increased dramatically. Shit, what the hell was he doing here? Thank God Denis hadn't notice him, too busy was he re-organizing his chunks of gold. From his hiding spot behind a large rock, he saw his Noah brother's sour face melt upon seeing the black exorcist coats on his friends. He spoke something to them, throwing Lizzy an especially captivating smile.
Neah gripped the rock behind him so hard it cracked to keep himself from rushing him. Oh God, Lizzy and Denis, God help him. Cross noticed his absence and looked around, Neah sucked in his breath. Lizzy and Maria were too busy being charmed to notice as Cross turned around and noticed him hiding. Cross tilted his head in confusion, wondering if his friend had finally lost it. Neah put a hand to his lips and willed all of his telepathic powers to conveniently awaken and communicate with his estranged friend.
Apparently all of his misfortune had saved up for one miracle as Cross turned away from Neah and stole away the girls' attention from Denis.
"Look kids, we still have a whole lot of river to examine. You can flirt later on your own dime." Lizzy and Maria were so indignant denying such claims that they neglected to notice that one of their party was missing. Neah sighed in relief, one crisis averted, now to deal with another.
What was Denis even doing here? How was he supposed to help search for the Innocence with his psychotic Noah brother hanging around? How could he even avoid Denis without having his treason exposed? He leaned against the rock and sighed again. The best thing was for him to hurry back to Edo and accept his friends' scorn later. It wasn't like they hadn't been fighting enough lately.
"My, my, look at my little brother, thinks he's big enough to handle a mission on his own." Neah jumped and Denis chuckled as he leaned next to Neah on the rock, a playful expression on his face. Neah paled and thought of a million possible plausible excuses as to why he was here. Luckily, Denis wasn't one of the Noah who was innately suspicious of him which was probably the only reason he was still alive.
"So mon renard, what exactly are you doing out here, so far away from home?" Neah straightened his back and smiled. It was all or nothing now.
"I was bored; you know how it can be in Edo with the Earl. I heard you were on a mission so I decided to see what you were up to." Keep smiling; it made you look less guilty. Denis raised an eyebrow, Neah only smiled wider.
"You know the Earl won't be happy to hear that you've snuck out of Edo." Denis said crossing his arms and raising his eyebrow as a parent would when disciplining a disobedient child.
"He won't know if you don't tell." Denis suddenly grinned and placed a hand on Neah's head.
"You are finally becoming a Noah; the desire to seek and destroy Innocence is growing within you. You have even singled out the exorcists! Come mon renard! Together we will find and destroy the accursed Innocence! If you are lucky, you may experience your first exorcist killing today. The Order has sent little children today; they should not be too difficult to kill, even for one as softhearted as yourself." Denis said, hugging him tightly around his shoulders.
Exorcist killing? Neah fought the horrified grimace off of his face as his Inner Noah brought forth images of his friends' broken bodies dying the peaceful river red. This was bad, this was really bad. And worse, he had no way to warn them of their perilous situation. He could only imagine their reaction to seeing their supposed friend with a Noah determined to kill them. He blocked out these terrifying thoughts from his head with little success.
"Um Denis, I don't know. I'm still in big trouble with the Earl you know, I-I'm not really sure I should even be here. Maybe I should just g-"
"Nonsense mon renard! The Earl will be so proud of your achievements this day that he will completely forgot about your insubordinate behavior a few months back. You will win back his favor and be on your way to becoming one of us." Denis ruffled his hair and started walking off. Neah bit his lip, his human conscious and his Noah frequently fought and they were really going at it right now.
Should he abandon his friends to regain favor with the Earl or openly betray Denis and, by consequence, the Earl and invite certain death? He sighed and followed Denis. He had no choice now but to follow his brother. Maybe the answers will come to him or so he hoped. Denis squatted by the river and grinned up at Neah.
"I actually took your lead little brother. You were brilliant in infiltrating that exorcist base a while back so I thought I'd try my hand at it. I blend in here so well. Unfortunately, they expect me to do hard labor and they treat me horrendously. Foolish humans, I nearly killed every one of them, but I kept seeing your cool head in my mind and controlled my rage."
"My diligent work has certainly paid off. I now know for certain there is Innocence here and it is somewhere in the surrounding stream. I have been searching, but there is still a lot of river to cover. I will get more done with you here though, good thing too now that those pesky exorcists are on the scene. But don't worry, we'll have fun with them later once we've gotten the Innocence." He picked a rock chuck about the size of his fist and turned it over in his hand deep in thought.
"Your first kill is a little like losing one's virginity. It can be hard and painful at first, but in the end it helps you to grow up, become a man." His eyes became wistful as he drifted back to a long ago time.
"I remember my first exorcist; I had just come into my Noah powers and I was scared like I know you are right now. But feeling their fragile skull crush beneath my hand and watching the life drain from their eyes, I realized how much better and stronger I was than these pathetic creatures. I realized that what I was and what I was supposed to do." Denis sighed happily, causing his wispy hair to bounce.
"After that, everything just came to me and killing became almost second nature. It is a pleasure, something you learn to enjoy and as you grow more experienced, it is a bit like fine wine." Oh God, don't let him be sick now. Denis dropped the rock and put his hands in the river and sighed deeply. "I am getting frustrated Neah, this Innocence is particularly tricky to find. I can feel its hateful presence, but I cannot locate it, the shifting movements of the river must disguise it." He then turned up with a murderous gleam and a toothy smirk, looking at Neah as a wolf appraises a meal.
"It's a good thing I have mon renard with me to help me sniff it out." Denis's golden locks may have gleamed luminously in the sunlight, but Neah could see the depths of his blackened soul.
Neah wasn't one of them, he wasn't.
DGMDGMDGM
Hours later, the sun had begun to set and there was no Innocence, no corpses and he, and thus Denis, had not seen the exorcists in hours. Yet despite all this wonderful news, Neah felt antsier than ever. Denis huffed, on the verge of a frustrated rage that could easily rival Edmund's worst. They'd searched all day and nothing had come of it except a very pissed off Noah and that was bad news to anyone who enjoyed living.
"Dieu a damné le fils d'une chienne!(5) Where the hell is that damned Innocence? All day, all day I have been here! A beautiful day I could have been romancing a gorgeous blonde! Instead I am here in the middle of goddamned nowhere with a sniffling little brat!" Denis kicked a wooden pole so hard, it snapped under his force and tumbled down the ground. Neah was slightly frightened, but chanced calming his sibling down before he decided to vent his rage against a person.
"Denis, you need to calm down. You're only drawing attention to yourself. I know you're frustrated, I am too, but you must persevere. We can't let those exorcists discover us remember?" He placed a hesitant hand on his older brother's shoulder. Denis for a moment glared at him with the anger of a thousand suns and, in it, Neah saw his own death reflected horrifically and violently. The moment passed and Denis's snarl became a lethargic pout. He shrugged off the hand and with a moan flopped down upon a rock.
"You are right Neah, I am sorry, I'm just upset. I can be patient, I really can. But it's these humans and the way they treat us, as if we are as filthy and worthless as they are. I don't know how you stand it so! Why do you like this world so much? This world where you are ordinary, where you are humiliated, disrespected and made to things so below your status?" Neah rolled his eyes. Despite being almost ten years older than he was, Denis sure could whine like a little kid. Arrogant bastard probably had never worked a day in his life. Neah hesitantly joined him on the rock, sitting in silence as Denis moodily stared into the river.
"Whatever happened to those exorcists anyway, I haven't seen them since this morning." Neah looked up, he had managed to steer the conversation away from them all day and he didn't want to talk about them now, not when Denis was so pissed. Neah shifted uncomfortably.
"It's been a hard day Denis, why don't we just return to Edo and come back tomorrow or the next day…" Denis stood up suddenly, causing Neah to nearly lose his balance in surprise.
"The exorcists! What an idiot you have been! Those exorcists are attuned to the Innocence, they can like sense it or something! They can lead us right to it." Neah raised a disbelieving eyebrow. The Noah sure had strange ideas about exorcists. Saoirse was convinced they ate nothing but raw meat and had blood rituals. Hassan considered them to be illiterate and drooling morons who deserved everything they got and Daniel, despite the fact that the Order was indeed sponsored by the Vatican, preached constantly about how they were devil worshipping Satanists.
"I don't think that's how it wor-"
"But why go to all that trouble? I bet they have it right now and they are sleeping comfortably in their beds with the Innocence in their possession. Let us deprive them of their prize and their lives." Denis stood tall above Neah as the setting sun behind him covered him completely in shadow, all except for his wicked golden eyes, which twinkled something rotten.
"Come my brother, tonight you become a man, tonight you will kill the exorcists and relish in their screams. You will bathe in their blood and vitalize your life with their deaths." Neah was certain he was white as a sheet. Kill? He couldn't. He couldn't evevn kill that mouse he'd found in the house once when he was eight, he had gotten Mana to do it for him. And worse yet, these were his friends, he cared for them too much to even consider such a… Oh God he was really going to be sick now. He couldn't, he just couldn't. He would die first, yeah, he'd said once he would die to protect his friends and here he was, dying to protect them.
He gulped, but he'd figured that would be so long from now, when they were old and senile and not so young. He was barely seventeen, he couldn't die now. As his mind ran around in circles, Denis stepped forward with the graceful intent of one about to do something awful and helped Neah to his feet. Denis lovingly straightened his collar, brushed dust off his shirt, combed back some of his unruly black hair and wiped some dirt and grime from his face. He smiled down at him with almost paternal affection.
"I know you are frightened, but do not fear pet for I will be there with you. Now, we must clean you up, you look a fright. You cannot instill proper fear in your enemies unless you are suitably dressed. I only wish I was more prepared, but that is for another day. Come now, the exorcists should be lodging in the spare quarters down near the rivers end." Denis grabbed his arm and Neah numbly stumbled after him as he continued his internal battle.
Denis was much stronger than him, even if he wanted to, Neah wasn't so sure he could beat him. And Lizzy, what about Lizzy? He would no more hurt her than he would… He couldn't, he just couldn't. Oh God why did this have to happen, why did he have to choose like this?
He'd never supported the Noah but, while he was working with the exorcist, he'd never exactly gone against the Earl. He'd been content to sit on the edge, not really jumping in either camp, God he just…he just needed more time. Neah looked up the heavens. God was pissed and was obviously testing him. He'd read the bible, he knew what a bastard God could be.
He had to choose.
They neared the small wooden cabin and Neah's heart sank. They were there; he could see their wet coats and boots hanging outside. He felt Denis's guttural laugh echo in the empty night. Was the world supposed to spin like that? Neah forced his face to be calm while he was mentally screaming.
'Relax my darling. I know it seems hard right now, but this is for your own good. Once you are rid of these troublesome exorcists, you can dispose of the fool Noah. You are all alone out here; the Earl will believe you if you tell him the exorcists killed him. Two birds, one stone. That is how a man thinks.'
Well great, he was being assaulted from all angles. He pushed his Inner Noah to the back of his head but to no avail. His fear and paranoia had brought it to the forefront and it continued to whisper to him. It wasn't even five, but already the sun was beginning to set, bathing the land in grim, grey colors. As soon as the sun was down Denis was going to launch his attack. If only he had a way to warn them, something, anything. He sat stiffly on the ground as Denis stretched out his muscles, preparing to fight.
There was a crunching sound as he sat down and, as discreetly as he could, pulled whatever it was out of his pocket. He nearly wept with relief. The little battered blinking device, half crushed, sat in his hands like a miracle from God. Making sure not to draw any attention to himself, he calmly pressed the red button, knowing his friends would see it and be alerted to the danger lying just outside.
He glanced up at the sky anxiously a minute after minute was swept away, the sun was dipping lower each second and Denis was getting edgier. Sunset couldn't be more than five minutes away and then nothing on heaven or earth could save his friends or his soul. What if they didn't have their devices on them? He thought grimly. What if they had gotten lost or were broken? What if they were hidden in their bags where they couldn't see or hear them? What if they were pissed at him for ditching them earlier and were ignoring him? What if Cross and Lizzy were sitting over the device, laughing at his pathetic, little invention cuddling together, doing-
… was that smoke?
Neah snapped out of his panicked musings to really observe the situation. The sun had just begun its final majestic dip and Neah could make out thick, black smoke curling from the roof of the cabin. Denis cursed in confusion as the wooden roof caught on fire. What the hell was going on? What were they doing? Was this a distraction? A light smirk colored his face for the first time all day. So they'd gotten his message and set fire to their rooms to escape and distract their waiting killer, pardon, killers.
"What is going on? What are they doing?" Denis steamed as he threw down the rock he had been tossing around. The small cabin was really burning now and he could feel the heat even this far away.
"Denis, there are going to be people here soon. We can get the exorcists anytime. Right now we need to preserve the Noah's anonymity." He had to work hard to keep himself from grinning; for once things were working out. Without a word, Denis stalked off as the cries of alarmed gold miners were heard approaching. The elder Noah cursed viciously as he bitterly lamented his missed opportunity as they retreated. Even his Inner Noah seemed to be sulking from within the confines of his mind. Neah's heart felt so light, he wanted to skip around with delight.
Things were finally looking up, that is until he saw a flash of red in the darkness. He cursed, damn Cross for being so goddamned noticeable. Denis also had eyes for he quickly spotted the three figures dashing through the woods, he grinned maliciously.
"Lady Luck may yet prove to be on our side Neah. The coop may be up in flames, but the chickens are on the run." Before Neah even had a moment to come up with some sort of excuse, Denis had started running. Neah moaned and ran after him in an attempt to stop the ensuing destruction. This was terrible, not only was there going to be a horrible confrontation, but he was going to watch while his friends were killed. What to do, what to do? Denis stopped suddenly, causing Neah to experience vertigo as he skidded to a stop just behind him. Denis's eyes were alight with brutality.
"Stay here mon renard, it has been awhile since I have confronted exorcists. Let me wear them down a bit and then I will let you go in for the kill." His skin turned grey and he stepped out in the moonlight to confront the staggering exorcists. Neah peeked around the corner too terrified and too ashamed to reveal to his friends his involvement. His brother grinned cheekily.
"Do not be frightened children, I really do mean you no-" Cross took no more time to listen to Denis's lies and instead began firing; Denis ducked and hid behind some trees. Cross sprayed the entire area with bullets; Neah could hear the shells hitting the ground from this close distance. He could hear them talking in hushed whispers as they continued moving.
Neah quietly slipped out of his hiding spot and ran after his friends. If he could just reach them he could get them out of danger. They were just ahead if only- Cross turned and began firing again. Neah cursed and ducked out of the way. Cross probably thought he was Denis chasing after them a hiss of pain and Neah grabbed his suddenly wet right shoulder as he sank to his knees.
He'd been shot; Cross had shot him with fucking Innocence. Fucking hell did that hurt, it had passed right through, but the Innocence still hurt like hell. Okay, calm down, he'd dealt with Innocence before, Rachel remember? He wasn't a real Noa-ahahahh. He winced as more pain flared.
"Dammit, why the hell did that bastard shoot at us?" Denis glared stomping over. He glared down at Neah on the ground and the slow pool of blood forming around him. "Were you hit?" No, he just enjoyed the view down here. The world swam a little bit, no, he couldn't pass out now. H-he had to… had to get to his friends. The world became a little more focused and he found the energy to stand up. He took a deep breath as he reoriented himself. He paused; on the other hand, if he could convince Denis he was dying, then they would be forced to leave and give the others a chance to escape.
"I'm-I'm-"
"Well you look fine to me, let's go, I'm not letting those bastards get away with this indigni-I mean your poor arm." They had walked no more than a few meters when the ground suddenly shook and Denis lost his balance. Neah gripped the tree as rocks shot up from the ground, ignoring the painful jostling in his shoulder. What the hell was going on now?
Leaving Denis behind to steady himself, Neah slowly made his way over to what appeared to be the source of the quaking. The world was coming and going in waves and Neah was pretty sure it wasn't just the earthquake. He winced, what was going on? Innocence hadn't bothered him since Rachel's, why was it hurting so badly now? He narrowly avoided being impaled as rocks shot up from all directions, out of the woods and in the moonlight, he could now see that it wasn't rocks, it was gold. Neah frowned thoughtfully and playing on a hunch, he stumbled down towards the river, his right arm loose by his side.
His hazy mind thought of what he'd seen today and the people he'd met, of Orville the overseer and his fierce protection of his land and his gold. He remembered how the man explained how the gold had materialized just as the town was needing money and how the incessant flow of riches kept coming no matter how many times it was mined. He remembered the look of pride and love in his eyes.
Now that was an Accommodator if he'd ever seen one.
Neah reached the river on unsteady legs, his group of friends stood on the other side engulfed in shadows. They were okay, he breathed a sigh of relief and the pain abated a little. He was about to call to them when the familiar hum of Innocence caught his attention. Down the river stood Orville, his eyes and hands glowing an unnatural green as he surveyed his precious metal.
"I can't trust anyone. All you damn blokes want my gold and my land. I slaved over this land for fifteen years. I put my heart and soul to keep this little town alive with all the gold she'll ever need. You can't take this land from me, the land of my daddy and my daddy's daddy." Neah called to him, but it was lost in the rumbling of the earth. What the hell was he going to do now?
A large split in the ground caused him to fall onto his back, the pain exploded. He watched with fear as the crack crossed the river, his friends were able to escape falling into the endless cavern by means of retreat. They were probably going around the other side, but that would take at least ten to fifteen minutes. What was he to do until then? He wasn't doing anyone much good at the moment with only one arm; it was all he could do to remain conscious. The ground stopped its seizure suddenly. Neah cautiously sat up, gripping his wounded shoulder and noticed Denis standing over Orville's body with a large rock in his hand; he lazily tossed the thing over his shoulder.
"Sometimes Neah, the old ways are the best way." Orville moaned, Neah sighed with relief; at least the poor man was alive. Denis reached down and snatched a glowing rock from Orville's right pocket, he examined it and smiled. "Neah quit lying around and get over here; I want to show you something." Stumbling to his feet, Neah saw the Innocence and something inside him burned. He clutched his chest in confused agony. Denis nodded almost sympathetically as he appraised the rock.
"I understand mon renard, Innocence burns our Inner Noah, a fiery pain you can't reproduce with anything else. It is our only weakness." This wasn't-oh fuck did his arm hurt-wasn't right. All the times he'd found Innocence and claimed it for the Order, it had never hurt like… like this. Denis held it up for him to see. It was partially imbedded in a small gold chunk, glowing heartily with godly power. Denis's hands started to smoke after holding it for so long. He cursed colorfully.
"Shit, this fucking hurts; well you're certainly in no condition to do this so watch carefully as I destroy this cursed thing." Neah held out his good arm in a gesture of- of what? Pain? Regret? Joy? Whatever it was, he was too late. He couldn't fight Denis, there was absolutely nothing he could do but let the Innocence die. Denis closed his hand and with a flash of light, the little green specks were blown away by the dry wind. Neah felt his heart constrict as the Innocence shattered. Orville flinched on the ground unconsciously as the crystal was reduced to dust. The particles brushed past Neah lightly, blaming him, scorning him, oh Jesus it was just like with Rachel all over again.
His head ached, his knees shook, he felt like he was going to faint and perhaps worst of all, something inside of him was laughing at the lost Innocence. He could've-he should've- Denis walked over and lightly handled his arm. Neah winced and tried to pull back but Denis persisted, he frowned with concern.
"We should get you back Neah, this looks bad, I'm actually pretty impressed you have remained conscious for so long. Come on, you'll just have to sweat it out at home during our celebration." Cele-? Neah gripped his head as it thudded painfully. He was quickly losing his sense of up and down, right and wrong. He leaned against Denis's shoulder and was half dragged away from the scene.
He didn't remember opening the Ark, he didn't remember going back to Edo, he didn't remember being bandaged up, but when his senses suddenly clicked into place some unknown amount of time later, he was there. He was sitting in his chair in the dining room in fresh pressed clothes, a tightly bound cloth wrapped around his shoulder and a glass of who knows what in his hand.
Wha- what the hell?
"-e really did well, I mean, you know what a bitch it is to get hit with Innocence like that. Boy has some nerve just keeping himself awake-" He looked around dimly trying to blink away the fog that just wouldn't leave. Everyone was here, chatting and drinking and about him of all people.
"Neah?" He looked over to see Denis grinning. He had changed into more stylish clothes as his wine glass was refilled for the umpteenth time. Neah brought his hand to the bridge of his nose mimicking Cross and tried to sort through his muddled memories. Hadn't they just been in Australia? "Did you tell them how scared those exorcists were Neah? The way they ran?"
"Yeah he told me already, I gotta admit, he has some real potential." Amora said, leaning on her hands, a light, almost pleasant, smile on her face as she teasingly turned her eyes over to look at Denis. "At least he knows how to take Innocence like a man, unlike someone I could mention…" Denis huffed and protested vehemently, claiming there were fourteen exorcists and his wound had been far worse. Neah just stared into his glass, what- how did… how did he get here?
'You were having a bit of a mental breakdown, so I sort of took over, I hope you don't mind'
He frowned unhappily, well that was one question answered. God his head hurt so fucking bad. He took another look over the table. Everyone had a smile on their face as they teased Denis and as they looked over at him. Someone near him gave him a light pat on the back and it felt nice. It was so strange being here, listening to Denis talk about him, using 'brave' and his name in the same sentence, hearing Amora laugh and clink glasses with him as she told him how she was actually proud of him, even the Earl at the end wouldn't stop beaming.
He was going to betray these people, perhaps even kill them, so why was he here?
'Stop that,' his Inner Noah hissed. 'You can be somebody here, stop thinking of those damnable exorcists and think about where it is you really belong.'
Had it really been a good idea to leave the Noah for the exorcists? He wondered traitorously. He'd occasionally pondered such thoughts, but had never actually considered- considered what?
Leaving his friends? Joining the Earl's cause?
The thought of doing such a thing had seemed so repulsive before, but still, what had the exorcists done for him besides cause him misery and anguish? They were the sworn enemy of his natural family; they had been using him and toying with his heart? It was because of them all of this trouble had started. And it would all end if they just… disappeared. He gasped as pain flared again in his chest; he gripped his clean, white shirt as a pain he couldn't even imagine ripped through him. A few calming breaths later and it subsided to at least a manageable level. He looked up exhausted and sallow to find thirteen pairs of eyes staring at him. And they looked worried. About him.
"Neah are you alright?"
"I told you earlier this party was a bad idea, he needs his rest."
"Neah are you okay! STAY AWAY FROM THE LIGHT NEAH! COME BACK TO US!"
"Calm down Saoirse, he's fine; he just needs to sleep it off."
"Your sister is right. Denis, Edmund, please help your brother to his room"
"Mph"
Neah shook his head and stood up shakily; he almost fell, but he gripped the table for balance. "I-I'm fine re-really. I c-c-can get there on-on my own t-thank you." He said slowly, willing with all his might to keep himself steady. He was so confused; he just needed some alone time to think.
"How can such a skinny little guy have so much guts?"
"Neah," the Earl said slowly, his voice filled with worry, worry for him. "Neah are you sure?"
"Ye-yeah, I'm fine, I'll um I'll see you guys in-in the morning." He stumbled down the hallway, letting the conversations bounce around in his head as he leaned on the wall all the way to back his room.
He should-he should get back to Bathurst, he thought through sagging eyes. He needed to-to make sure-make sure everyone was alright. He only remembered half the walk and as he staggered into his room sometime later, he was pressed to remember his own name. I've got to-to- That was pretty much the last conscious thought he had until he woke up many, many hours later, a mindless dull ache everywhere in his body. There was a cool cloth on his head and his arm had been once again re-bandaged. He frowned in the dark, w-wasn't there something he was supposed to do?
He turned his head to see a red blinking light. What were they- oh shit. He sat up in bed, ignoring the pain, the ache and everything that went with it. He had to go get them! Oh God that is if they were even alive. Pure motivation pulled himself from bed, he didn't think of his body, he didn't think of the Earl, he didn't think of anything but Lizzy's face.
Oh God she-they had better be okay.
As he opened a gate to the Ark some rational part of his brain grabbed a coat off his door to cover his sweaty shirt and bloody bandage. He couldn't-he couldn't face that right now, face their disappointment. It was better for everyone if he just pretended he wasn't there. It was better than he had imagined, but that still wasn't very good. They were alive-Oh thank God, thank Jesus God-but… Cross was pissed and Lizzy, well Lizzy was inconsolable. Maria sat on the side, her lips a thin line and her hands in her lap. Neah wiped the gathering sweat from his head as he leaned against a rock for support, trying his hardest to look like he wasn't in agonizing pain. As Lizzy sniffled beside, Neah almost spoke the truth, almost told them what had happened and how he had tried, really tried, to ease their plight and to save Orville's Innocence.
And then Cross had dared accuse him of leading the Noah right to them. Neah fumed internally, his pain a distant memory in his angry haze. This was the thanks he got for keeping them alive, almost at the cost of his own life? You shot me you bastard, Neah thought as the burning returned with full force, but at the moment he didn't care. The anger he felt at that moment for his supposed friend outweighed everything else, and you don't even care, you're just sorry you missed.
So without hesitation or regret, he lied.
He told them he had left after he saw Denis, thought he would get in the way, that he warned them from Edo of the danger. Why, he asked, the face of perfect innocence, what happened? Cross grumbled and stalked off, Lizzy hugged him and told him how glad she was that he was okay. She leaned into his bad shoulder, but that didn't matter, nothing really mattered at this point. He stroked her tenderly, telling her that he would always be there for her. He dropped them off back at their bases with little more than a nod goodbye.
He was so tired and he didn't want his family to worry.
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Maria winced as she stretched out her shoulders. It had been many months, but she still could feel her broken scapula healing itself. Her practical side acknowledged that it was because she had allowed it absolutely no time to heal. Her more prominent stubborn side completely ignored this very sensible advice. She was going to enjoy this day even if it killed her. The sun was shining, the waves were lapping and, for once, she wasn't running around like a mad woman.
Neah had collectively decided that they were in desperate need of a vacation and spirited them off to a beautiful, remote beach in The Republic of Colombia. Lord knows they all needed a break after their last disastrous mission together.
Neah and Cross finally stopped fighting, at least verbally; as the two of them were now tussling in the water. She knew Neah felt terrible about the Noah and the loss of the Innocence, but goddamn Cross would not let it go. He was convinced that Neah had been in cahoots with the Noah who'd attacked them to apprehend and destroy the Innocence. Maria would never believe sweet little Neah to do such a thing.
Of course it was rather suspicious that Neah announced just a few days after the mission that the Earl had withdrawn his restrictions on Neah's movements. No, she didn't want to think like that. She didn't want to believe her friends were capable of such things. She pointedly did not think about that nasty scar on Neah's shoulder that most certainly hadn't been there a few weeks ago as he roughhoused in the water.
Because that's what friends did. They believed in each other.
So instead she breathed in the warm, salty air, dispelling such unpleasant thoughts. Lizzy lay to her left with a large book over her face. She had gotten about ten pages in before her fatigued body had finally succumbed to sleep. Maria would remove the book, but frankly, the small girl looked quite hilarious lying there like that. Poor kid, she's been working so hard lately, she was wearing herself out. Maria could make out several ribs visible through the thin shirt covering her bathing suit. They were all exhausted. Cross had been unusually harsh on Neah these last few weeks and his lack of sleep certainly didn't help the situation.
Maria was all for a little friendly competition between the two boys and a little animosity was to be expected, but she feared they were taking it a little too far sometimes. Neah tripped backwards in the water and Cross stood over him. Neah smirked and kicked up a splash of water onto the other boy. Cross hissed as some got into his eyes and reached for out Neah, but the other boy was already gone.
In the span of time it had taken Cross to rub his eyes, Neah had made it back to the shore. He grinned triumphantly at his friend. Cross tried to hide the smirk, putting on instead an angry facade as he headed back in.
"Ok you little bastard, no more Noah powers or I'll be forced to shoot you." Neah held up his hands in mock surrender, though they were both grinning. Maria sighed in relief. At least for once they were just having fun with their fights, if just for today. It was a gorgeous day out today and she intended to take it for all that it was worth. She leaned back and soaked in the wondrous South American sun. Today all she wanted to do was lay in the sun and rela-
"Maria heads up!" before she even had a second to process this shout, a ball rammed into her gut expelling all the air from her lungs. Lizzy jerked next to her causing the book to fall off. Neah looked guilty at her with his large silver eyes as he apologized and sheepishly asked for the ball back. Her right eye twitched and she grinned crazily. Neah wisely stepped back. She stood up with ball in hand and proceeded to run after the two boys. They had a good head start, but she eventually caught up to them.
Lizzy just continued to doze not hearing the distant sounds of her friends' screams.
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Lizzy stretched, enjoyed how vitalized her body felt. She felt physically good for the first time in a long while. She readjusted the straps on the sun dress she wore. Sleeping on that beach had done wonders for her exhausted body, but it sure did a number on her skin. She gingerly pulled a light shawl over her reddened, sunburned shoulders.
They were staying in a nice hotel in town, not too far from the beach. Having gone up to change out of her sandy bathing suit, she went down to the hotel's main lounge where her friends were chatting. Neah and Cross had been wrestling in the water just before she fell asleep, but they looked awfully beat up. She made a note to reprimand them later for being so rough.
Maria was happily drinking a colorful drink that probably had more alcohol than all their ages combined. They'd probably be carrying her upstairs later, but that was alright, this was a day for all of them to just relax. If that meant getting shit-faced drunk, well then so be it. Neah tossed a peanut at Cross.
"Must feel good to get out of Edo for a while?" She said, he smirked and rolled his eyes.
"It was getting to the point where I was trying to kill myself with the cutlery at dinner. I swear to God one can go crazy if they spend too long in that hellhole." Cross raised an amused eyebrow.
"If you hate them that much, why don't you just kill them instead and save us the trouble."
"Idiot, now why would I deny you such pleasures?" Lizzy sat back and enjoyed the atmosphere of peace, tranquility and camaraderie.
For so long it seems like they'd been fighting and on each other's nerves. For a while, she'd dreaded rather than relished their meetings because she nearly choked on the tension. And Neah had been so distant as of late. He still smiled and acted the same, but it was as if he were just going through the motions, as if he didn't really mean it.
But now this was so nice. For once, Neah's smile was big and genuine like it should be, Cross didn't have that suspicious frown on his face and Maria was as flamboyant and loud as she had been that first day in America. It was so nice here, so perfect sitting by the window, teasing Neah about his family and watching the sun set in a picturesque local.
She closed her eyes and listened to her friends gently banter, she smelled the bowl of peanuts that Maria tipped over imitating some pleasant memory of theirs and felt Neah's gentle, yet hardened, hands brush her as he pushed away Cross. She could be anywhere in the world, as long as she had her friends with her and they were happy like this, she would always be on vacation.
Only one thing could make this better.
"Neah, would you do me a favor? Would you play the piano for me? It's been so long since we've heard you play and it would just be heavenly." Neah let go off Cross's hair and sunk into a deep bow.
Over near the door sat a beautiful, but sadly under used, piano. Neah grimly checked it out and announced he needed a minute to get it in tune. Maria took the opportunity to refill her drink; Lizzy ignored her weaving as she wandered over to the bar. The room was empty except for them, seeing as it wasn't tourist season yet, so they needn't worry about disturbing anyone. Neah pulled some tools from his pocket, he diligently began to work. Lizzy wandered over and watched his deft fingers move so elegantly it seemed as if he were born to do this.
"Do you always carry around piano tuners with you?" She asked with amusement. He said nothing, but merely smiled as he concentrated on his work. After a moment he spoke.
"Of course I do, I'm the musician remember? I booked this hotel specifically because they had a piano; I always like having one with me if I can." She nodded and slid next to him watching him work. He shifted, but otherwise ignored her presence. Giving the piano one last twist, he closed the top and cracked his knuckles. "Any suggestions?"
"You are the musician, pick something I'll like." He thought for a moment and then put his fingers to the keys and she could almost see the splendor coming from the piano. She sighed with pleasure hearing the light, swaying melody. Even Maria and Cross who were whispering something to each other at the table stopped to listen to the song.
It was a beautiful song, she didn't recognize it and she was sure she would remember it if she'd heard it before. She then decided to stop thinking and just listen to the notes lovingly caressing her ears. They echoed beautifully in the large hall, making her feel like she was at a concert made just for her. This was heaven; she could sit here for the rest of her life listening to this song. Eventually though, as do all wonderful things in her life, the song ended leaving her feeling simultaneously empty and satisfied.
"Neah," she said breathlessly. "That was beautiful, where on earth did you find you find such a wonderful sound?" He blushed and stared down at the keys and twiddled his thumbs.
"It's um it's not an actual song. I um It's something I've been putting together in my spare time, there really aren't any words and I haven't found a title. It's actually pretty stupid, I mean how stupid of me to start on a C minor-"
"You wrote that? Oh Neah that's amazing. Wow, you have words to it? Can you sing it to me? Please?" She said, reaching over to grip his shirt. If he was red before, he looked like he was about to explode now. He fidgeted under the scrutiny.
"Really Liz, it's nothing, here let me play Elise for you. I happen to know it's your favorite." With that he launched into a lovely rendition of Ludwig van's Für Elise. As he said, the song was indeed one of her favorites and she could not help but enjoy the gorgeously preformed piece. Even a few of the wait staff came out; the manager came out to yell at them to get back to work, but ended up staying to listen as well. That was effect Neah had on people when he played, it was like magic but real.
The evening proceeded with Neah flitting back and forth from Beethoven to Bach to Chopin. The four of them lightly chatted and laughed while the music provided the perfect soundtrack to the evening. Cross threw things at Neah, demanding he play something more upbeat to which Neah responded by playing a soothing dirge. The conversation never once drifted to the Earl, the Noah or the Black Order. They never talked of war, death or the heartache they'd already seen and would soon face anew. They instead told old stories, recounted memorable events with plenty of exaggeration and giggled about idiotic antics from students and friends at the Order. Maria snorted causing her to choke on her drink.
"Really? He built a catapult? Where the 'ell did he find the room?" Maria asked between chortles, her cheeks bright with alcohol. Cross smirked and fiddled with his empty water glass.
"I'm serious, Tiedoll and that psychopath Alex McDowell built a catapult outside Headquarters, near where the Guardian sits. I think they were drunk and bored when they made it, because it was very poorly constructed. I told them it wouldn't work, but they tested it anyways and with a big ass rock too. The whole thing ended up collapsing on itself and putting a rather large hole in the outer wall." Neah rolled his eyes from his seat on the piano.
They'd finished their dinner hours ago and simply sat around swapping stories in the dim room. Most of the staff had already turned in for the night, leaving them to themselves in the large room.
"You exorcists are crazy. If the Earl really wanted to take you down, he should just lock everyone in Headquarters and wait for you all to kill yourselves." Cross threw a wadded up napkin at him.
"Don't give away our secret Neah; it's the only think keeping us alive." The sun had long since set and after hours of talking, they were beyond tired. They had to get up early the next day to return back to their dreary lives, but no one was willing to stand up and officially end the merriment. Eventually though, Maria passed out and they shrugged their shoulders and dragged her upstairs, throwing her roughly onto her bed. They left her mostly at peace, though the boys did manage to doodle some on her face before she could stop them.
Cross yawned and leaned against the wall on the way to his room, all the while waving that he wasn't tired in the least. Neah led Lizzy to her room. He kissed her cheek and told her to sleep well. She barely remembered stumbling into bed before she too fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
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Sometime later when the moon hung solitary in the sky, Lizzy blearily woke up and rubbed her eyes. She yawned, not really sure what had disturbed her and decided to get some water downstairs. Staggering downstairs, she was only mildly surprised to see Neah sitting at the piano, quietly playing a quiet melody so not to wake the sleeping patrons.
"Neah? What are you doing up? Don't you know how late it is?" He looked up at her with concern as he stopped his playing.
"Dammit, I didn't wake you did I?" She slowly shook her head and slid next to him again. The air was quiet once more without the music and only the exotic animals outside provided noise. Her hands lightly tapped the keys. "I-I couldn't sleep, I just have a lot of things on my mind a-and sometimes just sitting here at the piano helps me relax." They drifted back into silence. She gently ran her fingers across the keys, enjoying the silkiness of the ivory keys.
"You know, if you want, I could uh teach you." He said quietly, she smiled, lost in her memories.
"I'm afraid you'd be out of luck, I have no such talent. M-my mother used to play the piano all the time; I used to think she was the most beautiful thing in the world when she sat there with her back perfectly upright making such wonderful sounds. I always wanted to learn, but she was too busy to sit down and teach me." Neah stopped her fingering by lightly grasping her hand.
"Do you miss her?" he asked softly, it was such a simple question, but there was so much weight behind it. She didn't want to think about that right now, she wanted to be happy. She got enough misery and sadness out in the real world. She wouldn't let this perfect day be stained with reality.
"Neah, could you play that song just once more? And could you sing too, don't worry I won't tell anyone." Neah pursed his lips in embarrassment, but began anyway. The soft tune filled the air.
"Then, the boy falls asleep. The flame inside the breathing ashes and one by one-" Lizzy closed her eyes again, listening to Neah's voice weave through the melody. She leaned against him and to his credit he never faltered in his fingering. He continued playing even once he finished the lyrics. She inhaled the sweet sound of music and before she realized it, she was slowly falling asleep on his shoulder with the lullaby soothing her into a peaceful slumber.
She awoke with a start to the morning sun filtering through her drawn shade. She sat up; she was back in her room again. Was last night just a dream? She rubbed her head and got dressed. She stepped outside of her door and straight into Neah
"Morning Liz, you kind of fell asleep on me last night so I took you back upstairs. Though I must say, asleep or not, you were quite the conduit for my creativity." He said brightly as he readjusted the strap on shoulder. "I've been struggling with a name for awhile, but seeing you sleep like that, I was thinking maybe the Lullaby. What do you think? I'd love to hear you sing it some time, it would only seem appropriate since I wrote it for you." Neah beamed proudly.
"You wrote that beautiful piece for me?" The joyous expression fell off his face; he coughed into his fist and a bright flush rose to his face. She smiled; boys.
"Um well you see I didn't-I didn't mean well write it exactly I uh… you uh…You know, I bet Maria is up by now, she probably needs help packing I-I'll meet you downstairs." And just like that he was gone. She shrugged her shoulders and dragged her small bag down the stairs humming a beautiful tune written for her by a very sweet guy.
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"Can we come in now?" Cross asked crossly as he stood with crossed arms outside a cabin a few kilometers outside of London. Lizzy inspected her nails again and found they were just as grimy and shredded as they were the last time she checked not a minute before. Maria tripped over something inside eliciting a loud, painful sounding crash.
Cross really tried not to sigh, she was going to all this trouble after all.
"No! You can't come in yet, dammit Neah, where the hell are you?" Maria shouted, proceeding to curse loudly under her breath while she bustled around the cabin. Cross would probably be handling the situation better if he wasn't standing around doing nothing in the middle of fucking nowhere. But it was a necessary evil, Leverrier had showed up for a surprise inspection at Headquarters and they certainly couldn't gallivant around with Maria or Neah there, not after their last encounter. And Maria couldn't be persuaded to move the event, this party had been a tradition since they'd all become friends and nothing would prevent her from moving it.
It was curious how close he and Lizzy's birthdays were and to save time and energy they always had just one party for the both of them. So here, on the first of August, just one day after his birthday and the day before hers, they were waiting for their 'surprise' party. The balmy English summer surrounded them as they stood outside the cabin, glaring daggers into the wooden cabin. Cross was pretty sure that standing there, he had come up with a few new curse words to blasphemize that damned Noah for being late. What was Neah doing? Didn't he know they weren't getting any younger standing out here?
"Oh, you're here! Thank God, put it over there. Um ok guys! Sorry um for the wait! I'm glad you could come to see my new Innocence demonstration!" Cross drearily rolled his eyes over to Lizzy. She pantomimed smiling with her hands while glaring heartily at him, which was Lizzy language for 'smile or I'll kill you'.
"Alright, we're coming in! I can't wait to see your Innocence Maria." Lizzy shouted, covering her frigid frown with a rigid smile. She slowly opened the door and they stepped inside. It was dark and quiet inside the dirty, dank cabin. Cross began to tug off his coat as the humidity was starting to get to him.
"This sure is strange; I wonder where she went Lizzy." Cross said drolly as he cleared his throat. Lizzy gave him a look of exasperation. Though she couldn't really blame him, sometimes it was painfully frustrating to put up with all of Maria's childish antics.
"Is anybody home?" Lizzy shouted, taking a step forward. A giggle came from nowhere and suddenly the floor under which Lizzy stood began to move. Lizzy stumbled back, pale faced, into his arms. Maria popped out of the floorboards. She threw some confetti at them.
"Surprise! Happy birthday you two! See I was in the floor!" Lizzy twitched her mouth up in a vague resemblance of a smile. She was just as excited about this party as he was. Maria stumbled out of her hole in the floor and recovered the trapdoor. "I really got you, didn't I?" Lizzy laughed nervously and nodded. She discreetly removed her hand from the butt of one of her pistols.
"I just can't believe it. I'm so surprised; I can't believe it's already August first again." Her caged animal expression would be hilarious if it wasn't quite so terrifying. He nodded surveying the cabin. There were streamers thrown across the room every which way and confetti covered just about every square inch of the place. A hastily painted sign, hanging off center and just moments from falling all together, read 'Happy 16th Birthday Cross and Lizzy!' A cake sat on the far table; it was pink with a shitload of frosting. Cross frowned, speaking of the cake.
"Hey Maria, where did Neah go-I mean uh, is Neah coming today?" Guy sure knew how to disappear fast, quite smart of him actually. Even Cross couldn't deny he jumped when he saw a sudden shadow dislodge itself from the wall and step forward revealing his friend. Neah, normally laid back and jovial, stood there with a blank face. He graced them with a sarcastic smirk that made Cross feel dirty.
"Surprise. Happy birthday and congratulations, you lived long enough to see sixteen years." Maria frowned before quickly replacing it with a giddy smile; she leaped over to Neah and pulled him into a tight, bone-crushing hug. She laughed, though it sounded like she really wanted to cry.
"Neah can be so funny sometimes. Now let's all sit down and chat now that my two favorite exorcists are another year older." She pulled a handkerchief and lightly dabbed her eyes. "My babies are growing up so fast, I'm so proud of you all!" she exclaimed, blowing her nose loudly. The three kids exchanged awkward looks as they slowly sat down at the only table in the room listening to the deafening silence.
This had to be the dreariest party ever.
Maria talked non-stop in a vain attempt to cover the quietness that had fallen over them. Lizzy played with her hands and drew pictures in the layer of dust on the table and Neah just stared at the world. "So I said to my superior that's not an Akuma, that's my wife!" They smiled politely at Maria's terrible, nonsensical joke. Her strained smile only grew bigger. "You know, I think it's time for presents! I'll be right back!" Lizzy sighed once Maria was out of ear shot and gave them a chiding look.
"Come on guys, I know this is the last thing you want to be doing right now, but Maria has worked awfully hard to pull this together. The least you can do is act like you're alive." Cross smoothed down a wayward hair, he was trying he really was, it's just this atmosphere was suffocating.
"Yeah I know, it's just I leave for Gibraltar tomorrow and I've got to leave pretty early. I want to get as much sleep as I can before then." He replied, wearily rubbing his eyes.
Neah just sat there soundlessly. He didn't tease Cross and ruffle his hair. He didn't smile and tell him not to worry and say that he would drop him off. In fact, Neah hadn't helped them with missions at all since the ill-fated experience in Bathurst. Every time they mentioned it he claimed to be busy, deciding he was going through some trouble in Edo, they'd stopped asking all together.
It had been strange adjusting to regular transport again and it also reminded them just how much Neah did for them. Going back and forth on their missions without him, they often found a week or two would pass before they would see their friend again. Maria ran back into the room holding a few presents in her arms. She shivered from the chilly atmosphere, despite the room's suffocating warmth.
"Ok, I got one for each of you! Happy birthday darlings! I'm sorry I couldn't do more, but you know how it's been." Maria said heavily as if trying to keep the weight of the world afloat with only her smiles.
They awkwardly accepted the poorly wrapped gifts with a nod of gratitude. Lizzy got some badly needed hair clips and ribbons to help keep her long hair back and out of her face. Maria managed to get a smile from all of them by insinuating that Cross could borrow Lizzy's hair ties to maintain his own long hair, which now brushed just past his shoulders. For the first time all day, the mood had finally begun to lighten. Cross got a beautiful leather bound notebook for him to take notes with. Up until now he would scribble his thoughts and scientific theories on random scraps of paper. A notebook was just what he needed.
The air grew tense again when the boys realized they had each given Lizzy the same gift. A few months ago, during a particularly harrowing mission, Lizzy had lost one of her earrings. She wasn't all too concerned with pretty bobbles, but the small silver studs she wore were extremely important to her being one of the few things she had left from her home.
She smiled appreciatively and kissed both of them on the cheek. She proclaimed she would wear one of each so she would have both of her boys wherever she went. But the good mood had been broken and Cross and Neah did not speak to each other again that day.
For once, Maria was silent, having apparently given on pretending that everything was alright. She cut the small cake and gave everybody a piece. They all stared down at the sugary confection.
"Remember when we went to Colombia? On our vacation? That was a real good time." She said quietly, mostly to herself, as she poked her cake. The others said nothing, of course they remembered, but too much had happened since then for them to really enjoy the happy memory.
Lizzy and Cross returned back from their Columbia trip to find that several people they knew, including a few invaluable exorcists, had been killed the day before on a dangerous mission that they should've been on. Their Master had asked where they had been, saying that while they were entitled to some vacation time every now and again, they were always on call. It was the first time either of them could remember getting yelled at by their Master.
The look of angry disappointment on his face had burned them far worse than any injury they'd suffered.
They went and visited some of the survivors from the mission. Lizzy nearly broke down in hysterical tears when she learned that one of the casualties had been a recent inductee, Julius Seyton. He had just turned twelve that month. The Akuma attacks had been steadily increasing and even the undertrained inductees were being forced to fight the Earl's minions. Maria was also admonished for leaving her post during such dangerous times. The mention of the last Akuma attack ripped new holes in Maria's heart and led old wounds bleed anew.
Though he wasn't really to blame, the others silently cursed Neah for it was his family causing all this death and destruction. Previously they would never think such things about their friend who they knew felt terrible about his family's misdeeds. But life was getting hard and Neah was a Noah despite how much they pretended he wasn't. Though no words were exchanged on the subject, Neah read their feelings and gradually became more distant. Maybe the exorcists and the Noah really couldn't get along after all. They felt terrible about their shameful feelings, but the damage had been done.
Neah had been coming around less and less and, without Neah around for transportation, the European exorcists could only talk to Maria on the phone.
Perhaps that was why Maria was so insistent on this damn party. Perhaps she was trying to make amends to the friend she treated badly and to keeping their fracturing family together just a little longer. Perhaps she saw the icy snows of winter just around the corner and was trying to do all that she could to keep the cold at bay and away from her family.
The wind blew outside and Maria quietly announced that, fun though the party was, she needed to get back to her base. She could, after all, only lead a horse to water. They cleaned up their meager supplies and gave halfhearted goodbyes. It was hard to believe that this time last year, they'd been inseparable. Neah opened a gate from inside the cabin to avoid the sticky air outside. They left the cabin quiet and empty, without a trace of the once powerful love.
How I wish, how I wish you were here.
We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl, year after year,
Running over the same old ground.
What have you found? The same old fears.
Wish you were here. ~ Pink Floyd
I've gotten a few reviews commenting on the pettiness of the boys and their behavior. Well yes, and that's on purpose. The last two chapters have shown the boys being stupid and petty with their crushes, but now things are getting worse. The little arguments and competitions are slowly turning into something more serious, something irreversable as the pressure piles up on both sides. And yes, Neah is having mood swings and yes he's becoming a complete jackass, but it's all for a purpose. It's all going to come to a head soon so you people who dislike build up, it's almost over. I personally like it, I think it makes the situation a little more real than if it went from happy to angsty all at once. This is what? Chapter 11? (rubs back of neck nervously) this is seriously not even halfway done. I don't really answer reviews because I'm not sure what to say, but I will answer any questions.
To MyWitchCat- I don't know for sure. It's never specifically stated in the manga (there is so little actual information on Neah) so he could be, I just chose to make him the Noah of Pride because it fit. I'm almost certain to be wrong, but we''ll see :)
(1) Pommies- Englishmen (this is Australian lingo as best I could find )
(2) Deros- derolicts, It really means like hobos, but I liked how it sounded
(3) Fossikers- miners, specifically gold miners.
(4) Moll- jerk, thief
(5) Goddamned son of a bitch (approximately)
Wish You Were Here (c) is the property of Pink Floyd (Whom I will see in July, part of them anyways :D) :)