Hitomi: All right! It's all set now! I thank all of you for giving me the usual, be it reviews/feedback, alerts, and favorites. I appreciate what all of you have to say. But, before we begin, I shall make some responses…
That Reminiscent Sky – I know, right?! Too bad you forgot what you said in the rest of the review since FF . net was busy updating the site and all. But yep, Rue worked a long way to become an Exorcist. I thought Lavi may try to do something like that, so I needed to get created on the fluff. And yes, I allow the rambling on MSN. Let's kill together!!! XD
Peter the Otaku – It was pretty hard to write Lavi leaving on a long term mission, but I wanted to see how Rue was going to deal with it. It's true that Deja's name would've derived from déjà vu, but that was unintentional (and now that you pointed it out, now her main power is definitely cemented with time). But yeah, Deja would probably remind of Lavi the most since the way she/it acts and the fact she was created by Lavi's hands… XD I was actually having fun writing the story when Lavi and Daisya were pranking Rue. Crap, a few grammar mistakes?! Eeek! Must go edit it! And thank you~
Soulless Ghosty – Ah wow, thank you! And you read the story—up to the latest chapter—in two days?! AGH! XD Well, this is me being worried about your health, ehehe… Eh, really?! I'm glad you think my story's good, despite some mistakes… Hehehe, I really had fun writing about Kanda crossdressing (it was about time I'd made him the victim of something!) Although, it's funny to say déjà rue out loud, honestly, and I've a feeling I'm gonna make a joke out of it… Yes, I know the ending's a bit sad, but that'll be the least of their worries since I know I'll make them go through worse… Well, I would say that Lavi made Rue a golem to keep in contact, but I would make the contact brief since Bookman wouldn't want his apprentice to be attached to her. Perhaps, this is why she hasn't heard from him for a long time… Crap, I completely forgotten about that! That means I may have to rewrite it… Ahaha, damn! But, thank you!
Kevin-niichan – Awww boo! So, one or two jarring words appeared in there… Crap! But, I'm glad you said that I improved. That's why I had to point out to people—before they could be really snobby about the whole Mary Sue business—that Rue isn't the Heart. Nah, Rue isn't nonhuman or a noble (if she were a noble, it'd be rather ironic since the Underground Society kill such people when they become corrupt). But, due to how her mom is faring (and I've yet to say how her dad works as I can't think of anything yet), I'd say they'd be in the middle class (not sure whether to place her as upper or lower, but she's definitely not one of a luxuriously wealthy inheritance unlike Edina [and Aiko IF she became a major character here]). I had fun writing the Daisya/Lavi scene when they were playing a prank on Rue like that, but yeah, it's too bad they never did such a thing in the original DGM canon… Hence why I wanted to write something like that. I already knew Black Order HQ was in the Britain/England area, so I didn't make any mistakes on that when I had Lavi and Rue travel by train to Paris last chapter. Yes, I know I wrote that Rue didn't have a coat the whole time she had been settled in the Black Order (which was for a year now from last chapter). Well, I plan to say something like that, but it's more like the explanation (which will be revealed in this chapter) on why she didn't go through the monthly Innocence synchronization rate check ups: It's because Rue doesn't want to be reminded of her weakness/incompetence as an Exorcist before.
Now then… *grins* Commencing on the time skip to one year later!
Disclaimer: I do not own D . Gray-Man, Hoshinou Katsura-sensei does. The only thing(s) I do own in here would be my OC(s).
In the Black Order, there was total chaos; a chaos so unspeakable that many were afraid to tell the tale of it. Of course, to one's imagination, there were endless possibilities where this was heading. However, if you think it's such a big deal when reading this, it really isn't what you think it is.
In the training area was a total uproar. Many Finders, all of the Science Department, and some Exorcists that weren't on missions were gathered around the vicinity. They were watching, shouting, cursing, and cheering at what was displayed before them.
Bugs, fireballs, sharp rocks, and wind blades were flying all over the place, both sides trying to get a cuff at their opponents. It was a hit and miss to all of the projectiles, succeeding and failing to hit the targets' weak points. Words weren't exchanged, clashes of weaponry and spells echoed all over the place, and the heavy breathing and occasional grunts of pain were the only things heard from the people in question.
Mugen struck again, slicing Lifeline's palm as the white—now red stained—hand grabbed the blade to stop its moving as Deathtrap, with its luminous fire, made its move to palm strike the opponent at the chest. Successful, but it would take a lot more to take him down.
The Second Illusion was cast, causing her to hiss out a curse as the sheath—now a second sword—imprinted its mark onto her left side, the black top now stained with a dark red there. She palm struck him again in the same place out of spite, at the same time pushing herself away to not get near the sheath anymore as she put herself in a stance – knees bent, arms up, fists clenched.
He did his best not to grimace at the second blow of fire her Innocence gave to him again, his movements with his swords fluid, graceful, a whirlwind of slashes with no way out for her.
"Come on, Rue! You can do it!" A familiar voice—Daisya—screamed from the large crowd, knowing that she was doing her best right now. "Take Kanda down!"
"Hah! I'd say it's Kanda who's going to take 'him' down first because 'he' looks weak!" Another recognizable voice—a snooty one—sneered spitefully. "After all, Kanda's known for killing Finders, so I bet you he'll take this one down easily! Rue's unworthy to be called as an Exorcist, anyhow!"
"Edina," A third, identifiable voice snapped sharply to the second, provoked. "As always, you're so judgmental, thinking you know what people's personalities are just by looking at them. I suggest you keep quiet right now because Rue isn't weak as you think 'he' is."
"But, look at 'him!' There's no way 'he' can win this, Armando, 'he' just can't! The day Rue wins will be the day that I'll be poor!"
"Edina."
"But, Armando—"
"You noisy, ungrateful, derogatory, stuck up bitch. Shut the Hell up now before I get really pissed at you for your behavior. If you don't keep quiet that chatterbox of yours, and being ugly while you're at it, you're going to get sent into a coma again like last time. Remember that that lasted for almost a year due to the injuries you received in Germany. But now, this tells me you haven't learned your lesson at all, which means you're being a spoiled, bitchy brat as always. Nobody will like you if you keep this up."
"Why you insolent, cruel, cold-hearted, unfeeling bastard—"
"And you think that's worse than what you're doing now? You're allowed to say what you feel, fine. But when you talk badly of people, be it within earshot, behind their backs, or right in front of their face, everyone will hate putting up with your shitty attitude. Grow up, Edina."
And so, the female Finder kept her mouth shut, biting her lip from saying anymore as unshed, angry tears welled up in her eyes. The male Finder wasn't sympathetic to this; rather, he only gave her a cold glare to show her that he obviously didn't care. Then, he turned to the scene in front of him, focusing once more on the brawl.
Hell's Insects scorched the female Exorcist's flesh, black appearing on her arms and neck. In retaliation, she dashed over to her rival and gave him an uppercut, the earth covered Lifeline increasing the punch's strength. This sent him hurtling to the ground with quite a solid, loud thump. However, he wasn't finished as he used the opportunity to lash Mugen on her legs, the flesh there now coated with blood, causing her to topple over in pain.
They exchanged dark glares at each other, their stamina low, their breathing ragged with fatigue. Both of them were sitting up on the ground, but neither gave into the urge of lying down on the earth in spite of how weak their bodies were feeling at the moment.
The crowd saw this, all of them with various reactions, but notably on the same wavelength of a particular emotion: unending frustration with a lot of groaning and cursing all around.
"What the Hell, man?! Are you fucking serious?!"
"Are you telling me it's a draw?! AGAIN?!"
"This is bullshit!"
"Man! I was hoping Rue would really beat the crap out of Kanda this time! Shit, this sucks!"
"Why the Hell is it always like this?!"
"With the way things have been going between these two recently, nobody is ever going to win the bets!"
"How can we win our bets if there's no declared winner every damn time?! Geez, this always happens!"
"All of the damn betting money is going to waste again!"
"Awww man, another tie again?! What fucking gives?!"
The rivals gave each other silent, knowing glances in spite of their current feelings towards each other. They weren't surprised with the people's reactions as this always happened since last year when gossip of their first tie flew all over the vicinity. So, in times like this, there was a mutual understanding between them as both Exorcists found it quite irritating.
If their spectators were really going to act like this every damn time, maybe they should quit betting on who'll win in their battles.
Unravel
XXI
Rebirth
[My name is Rue Marucut.
I am now a capable, full-fledged Exorcist in the Tiedoll division.
I am still looking for my purpose in this life.
I may not be able to understand a lot of things,
But I'm still trying hard to learn what it's like to live.]
In the cafeteria, it was as noisy as ever. However, word of the duel had spread like wildfire and it was the talk of all morning.
"Well, that sucked!" Daisya complained loudly, stuffing his face with rice and shark meat. "I thought there'd be a chance of a win, but it ends up being another draw again! Damn it! Though, it wasn't my idea on betting the fights in the first place…"
"It can't be helped, Daisya." Lenalee sighed softly, taking a bite of her curry chicken. "While Rue may be stronger now, Kanda's a tough opponent to take down. But, you know how she is; she'll keep trying, no matter how long it takes, until she defeats him. Although I do find it odd that people would bet on their fights."
Marie only nodded, eating his dorayaki in silence.
"True, but it's just too bad." Armando commented disappointingly, barely having an appetite as he picked at his clam chowder. As he still found Edina a nuisance as always, they were sitting away from each other at separate tables; she didn't dare follow him as she knew that he was still very pissed off at her. "It's like a never ending struggle for her, you know?"
"Don't worry about her, she'll be all right." Jerry reassured from the counter, smiling as he was serving meals for the hungry people in the Black Order. "Where is Rue, anyway?"
Reever happened to hear this question as he was next in line for food as he answered for them to hear, "If you're wondering where Rue went off to, she's with Komui right now. They're checking her Innocence synchronization rate with Hevlaska."
* * *
In silence, two people were walking together to the top floor of the Black Order. Supervisor Komui Lee took the lead as always, his white coat swishing with his strides. His violet eyes—behind glasses—held a serious gaze, his indigo colored hair still kept under that white beret.
Behind him followed a quiet fifteen-year-old Rue Marucut, her hands tucked into her Exorcist coat pockets. Her usual, sharp blue-gray eyes held no semblance of emotion, a neutral expression to hide all of it. She seemed to have grown a bit on her height, the bottom lip piercing still there. She was still into her crossdressing habit, so she still looked like a boy; however, some development could be seen at her hips and legs, but not much to obviously give away her true gender. Perched on her still short strawberry blonde hair was Deja, her golem, who had a confused expression as she/it didn't know what was going on.
"You know why you're here again, right?" Her superior asked quietly, a small smile of his face.
Saluting him, the girl immediately replied seriously, "I know. It's been two years since I stepped in this place. I didn't want to make it a monthly check up as I didn't want to be reminded on how incompetent I had been before. Now… I'm ready, Sir Komui."
As these words had been said, Helvaska appeared into the room.
"Hello, Komui, Rue."
"Good day, Helvaska!" Komui greeted her cheerfully; then, turned to Rue with a smile. "Now then, Rue. Let's check your synchronization…"
"…To check if I've improved or not, of course. Ready when you are, Sir, Helvaska."
"All right, Helvaska! You know what to do!"
The spirit grabbed the female with her tentacles, letting one of them enter her body. The crossdressing Exorcist maintained a cool head, not a mark of discomfort or fear on her unlike two years before (though she tried to remain impassive that time). She already knew the process, and also knew that Helvaska wouldn't harm her, so she trusted her.
Finally, the apparition spoke.
"You've reached… 86%."
Blue-gray eyes widened, the unspoken surprise rendering the fifteen-year-old to speechlessness. Deja took the moment to fly around the room in glee, happy for her/its mistress.
From down below on the platform, Komui was indescribably happy when hearing the news.
"Wow, Rue! You've really improved a lot because of training with Kanda as well as getting experience outside! Although I keep telling you not to push yourself too much…" He looked up, making eye contact, flashing a warm smile at her. "I'm very proud of you, Rue, for working hard and for not giving up."
"As I thought, you're a strong-willed child and I never had any doubt in you. Very good job, Rue, your effort has paid off." Helvaska spoke serenely, a hint of praise in her voice.
"Thank you very much." Rue managed to find her voice again, the shock of the news slowly wearing off as an indescribable feeling overflowed inside her. "The prophecy… Is it still the same as before?"
"Yes."
"I see…" A displeased frown appeared on her face now as she was set back down on the platform, her golem settled on her head again. "I still need to work on that, I suppose… I already know that I haven't learned enough, so I still needed to ask to make sure…"
"Don't worry!" Her boss clamored optimistically, trying to restore her confidence back. "You'll get it soon enough."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure! You'll be okay, Rue."
Bidding Helvaska goodbye, the two left side by side. Rue had gone silent again, the scowl still there, contemplating on what the female ghost told her about the prophecy she had since two years ago.
Heh… I guess I still need to learn on emotions, huh?
Sensing the dissatisfaction, Komui tried to get her mind off of it by attempting to talk to her about a different topic.
"You know, I've noticed something…"
She looked at him with puzzlement, wondering where he was going with this.
"While you're still the same as before, you've opened up on feeling more. Though it's still difficult for you to express, you still feel something. I know I may be talking nonsense, but… Bear with me, I'll get to the point in a moment."
He cleared his throat; then, a certain glint sparkled in his amethyst eyes. And Rue felt bothered for that she knew that look, having seen it quite a couple of times. She felt as if she was sweating bullets just by looking at it, like she got caught from doing something bad. Deja, who had been bouncing on her head for a few minutes straight since hearing the news of Rue's improved synchronization rate, stopped immediately as she/it saw this, a suspicious look plastered on her/its face.
"Lately, while you've changed by slowly opening up, I've been observing that you've been thinking too most of the time; more than usual, whether you realize it or not. Your eyes also look far-off when you're reflecting on your thoughts. Apparently…" A wide, perceptive grin curved onto his face. "It's happened ever since he left last year."
Rue's heart reacted in the most peculiar way she had experienced, but it wasn't the first time it happened when it came to this particular someone. It throbbed with a dull ache at the mention of that certain person, a painful squeeze. She looked away from Komui immediately, a bright red growing on her face as her bangs hid her expression.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Sir Komui." Rue stated coldly, her left hand a loose fist at her side. Her golem, however, knew the truth as her/its sly expression told all. Her/Its mistress may be good at concealing, but there's no way she could be so dishonest.
"Oh, come on! Don't deny it!"
"I am not denying it. I really don't have a clue what you're speaking about."
"Isn't it obvious?! I'm talking about Lavi!"
Fiery red hair usually held up by a green headband. The one, left jade green eye that was always exposed; the other eye—his right—covered by a black eye patch. A long scarf—typically orange—was the one thing that couldn't go amiss when he was traveling from place to place; his trademark of sorts as he always had one at hand and it was one of the items that made him—at least, in her opinion—very noticeable. His smile, the one expression she could never forget about, the expression that stood out the most to her with its radiance and its warmth; the smile that was always there, be it when used as a mask or when he was truly feeling.
Lavi Bookman Jr.
Hearing his name brought on another twinge at the bottom of the girl's heart, making her mind curse, her face as red as an apple.
"I-I'm not distracted by him." Her icy words came out sharply, perhaps a little too forcefully than she intended it to be. "You know I always fulfill my duties."
"I know that, but…" Komui's smile, while showing his teasing mirth, was also full of understanding as his eyes softened towards her. "It's all right to feel that way. There's no need to lie about it because I know you would ask people if they've heard about him. Even though you have other people to keep you company… You… You feel alone without Lavi, don't you? As if feeling like something's missing, right?"
"I…"
"It's natural, Rue. You don't know it, but… This is your way of feeling lonely. You have others close to you, but you still feel lost without him."
Then, the teasing came back.
"I know you miss him, so don't lie about it!"
"I-I…" Blue-gray eyes peered at purple, a dark red all over her face, her obstinacy taking over and getting the better of her as Rue blurted out hotly. "I don't feel that way at all! While it's true that it feels out of place without Lavi, there's no way I would feel something like that! You said I have other people, but even when I'm by myself, I'm okay! I'm capable of taking care of myself and I don't need Lavi to watch over me all of the time!"
The fire in her voice crackled down to dying embers, a whisper of an unknown sentiment.
"I'm okay being like this." The blush was fiercely stubborn to remain on her cheeks, strings of curses in her thoughts as her heart was still acting so strangely when it came to the older boy. "So, don't tell me stuff like that because it's not true!"
She ran away without a word, leaving a stunned Komui in front of his office door.
He shook his head, his smile faint.
"Whether you want to admit it or not, you miss Lavi, Rue."
* * *
"Why do people feel lonely?"
The question was quiet enough to be swept away by the wind outside, but loud enough to reach to his ears as the two were lying down on the grass. His dark brown eyes scrutinizing her face, he wasn't sure on how to answer her as such a subject came out of the blue. Normally, General Tiedoll would be the one to explain to her, but because he went away to look for new Exorcists, Rue could only turn to the next person she could talk to.
His eyes drifted to the partly cloudy sky and he went quiet, his way of thinking over his answer.
What should I tell her? Hmmm, only General Tiedoll could explain this better, but I guess I'll do my best to guide her on this. After all, I experienced this at some point or another.
"Hm, how to explain…" He began with a slight struggle, still trying to formulate his response. "Loneliness is when you feel alone, right? It's when you feel negative by feeling that you're all by yourself, that there's something missing. It can be felt when you're not with people and it can also be felt when you're with people because you may feel out of place around them. Furthermore, it can be felt when you start missing a person if you haven't seem them for a long period of time. When you miss somebody… You really, really want to see them."
"Is that why?"
Is that… Why I've been feeling lonely all the time? Is it because he's not around in the Black Order? Well, he hasn't been around for a year now…
"This is the best I can answer. It may not be enough for you, but I hope it got my point across."
"I see. I think you were able to tell me a good explanation, though, so thank you."
"No problem, but… What made you ask?"
"Well…"
A concerned frown formed on Daisya's face, turning to face her directly again.
"You're not isolating yourself, are you?"
"I'm not." Rue stated openly, shaking her head, her arms propped behind her head as a pillow to rest on. "You know that I still speak to other people in the Black Order, even though I may not be as sociable as many would want me to be."
"Then, what's wrong?"
Her silence answered him, her turn to look at the sky as she watched wistfully, her eyes clouded as she reflected. Memories began to turn the cogwheels of her mind; good memories and bad memories, made up of people and places, a swirl of color, many sounds, smells, and tastes… One emotion after another…
His face appeared. Bright-eyed, smiling and laughing…
Deja, pocketed in her coat, watched her/its mistress with a concerned face.
"Eh? …Could it be that you actually miss someone?"
She snapped out of her trance, facing a grinning Daisya.
"What are you talking about?" Again, the denial showed itself.
"Seriously, Rue, it's not good to lie about it! If you feel lonely, and it isn't because you're not around people all of the time or you don't have friends (since you do); then, the reason why you feel this way is because you miss somebody!"
Damn that blush coloring her face again, cherry red this time.
"I do not." She grumbled with an indifferent tone, facing away from Daisya to the blue skies once more. "Why would I miss someone? And geez, why does it feel that everyone's saying this to me?! You're the second person to say that!"
"Awww, how cute, you're trying to deny that you're lonely, but you're blushing a lot right now! Haha, if I'm the second person to say something like this, it has to be true! So, who do you miss, hm?"
A low growl answered his teasing, clearly not in the mood to give a proper reply.
"Come on, you can tell your big brother Daisya anything!"
"Daisya, don't make me get out the daggers!"
"Not until you tell me the truth! You know you want to, Rue!"
She clicked her tongue in loathing, not wanting to reveal anything. How she really didn't want to expose what she really thought for once. But, if she didn't, he would use this against her.
A deep, harsh sigh of annoyance and resignation escaped, not wanting the older male to make fun of her anymore.
"Fine…"
Daisya stopped his joking, sitting up as he was looking—really looking—at Rue as she spoke. She looked at him straight in the eye as she sat up herself, red faced and all, as her eyes gave away all that she was trying so hard to hide.
"I… I'm lonely, Daisya. And I'm… Lonely because I… I miss someone, someone that I haven't seen or spoken to for a long time. I want to see him more and more every day, even though it's impossible now because I don't even know whether he's alive or not. Satisfied?"
She dropped eye contact after that, her bangs hiding her eyes. If one were to look carefully behind the hair, her eyes were dull and distant. At both sides, her hands were clenched tightly. Her heart, her damn heart, was feeling constricted again.
Lavi…
She felt a hand on her head, she didn't bother looking up at Daisya. She didn't expect the hug she got from him, though, as he pulled her into his arms. He messed up her hair, looking sad and guilty for her.
"I'm sorry, Rue…"
The only thing he heard from her were quiet words, words that sounded lost. At those words, he really felt her loneliness from somewhere inside, right from the bottom of her heart.
"Lavi… Where are you…?"
* * *
"Heh… Who would've thought I'd speak like that to Daisya?" Rue sighed, walking around in the Order's corridors, Deja trailing behind by a small distance. "I feel foolish now, acting like that…"
"Don't feel embarrassed, Rue." Lenalee reassured considerately, walking with her. "It's because you bottled it in for so long that you needed to get it out, somehow. Like big brother Komui and Daisya have tried to tell you, it's okay to say that you feel lonely. After all, it's a natural feeling when you miss someone."
"But, I can't help but feel like I've done something irrational. Ugh, maybe I still need to adjust feeling like this…"
She giggled, which got the other sending her a confused look. A small smile carved onto the Chinese female's face as she answered.
"Don't worry, you're getting there. Besides, opening up like that means you're making personal growth to understand emotions."
"I guess so, when you put it that way…"
"Besides, I had a feeling you were going to be like this when Lavi left, so… It's about time you spoke up about it. I was getting worried for you."
Rue turned away from her female friend and stayed completely silent on that, her face flushed red out of feeling flustered. She really didn't want to get into the fact that she honestly said she missed the Bookman apprentice.
"You know… I think being in General Tiedoll's unit must've been one of the things that helped you opened up a little more." She spoke thoughtfully, a warm smile on her face. "If it weren't for big brother Komui putting you there, I don't think you'd be like this now. Of course, he figured you'd be comfortable with General Tiedoll since you two came from the same country. But, he also put you in his team because it was not only for Kanda to train you; in addition, it was to help Kanda and you get along."
The fifteen-year-old stopped in her tracks unexpectedly, absorbing of what the sixteen-year-old had just said. Slowly turning around, darkened blue-gray met confused and surprised violet.
"What… What did you say, Lenalee?"
* * *
"Kanda, if you don't open this door right now, I'm going to permanently call you Yuuri! And I mean it!"
This must've caught his attention so quickly for that the Japanese male opened his bedroom door immediately. Rue must've disturbed him from his meditating as his face morphed from serene to angry in a split second.
"There better be a good reason why you're disrupting me right now, shorty. If you called me out here for nothing, you'll be seeing Mugen a lot often."
"Just hear me out, all right? This is something you need to know as it concerns you too."
A flicker of undeclared, mild interest briefly showed on his face.
"Che, what is it, then?"
* * *
"Ahhhh, what a long day." Komui muttered tiredly, resting his head on his desk. "I could use a good nap right about—"
The door slammed open.
"…Now?" He looked up, wondering what the racket was all about. Purple eyes widened in shock, blood draining from his face as a black blade and a silver blade met at his neck, a sinister atmosphere all around the room because two certain people.
"So, you mean to tell me…" Kanda growled lowly, so very tempted to kill off the Supervisor in front of him.
"That the reason why I had been put in the Tiedoll division, aside from training…" Rue muttered coldly, cracking the knuckles of her other hand.
"Was because it was to make us get along?!" Both of them yelled at the same time, quite livid about this. "You set us up!"
"Ehehehe…" Komui laughed nervously, edging away from the blades, getting up quickly to retreat from his office. "I'll be going now, I think I can hear Lenalee calling me…"
He ran for his life, already knowing that he was in huge trouble now.
"OH, HELL NO! YOU'RE NOT GONNA GET AWAY WITH THIS!"
"When I find you, Sir Komui, you're going to be in so much pain…"
* * *
They hunted him down all around the Black Order. People decided not to get involved as they saw Komui had gotten himself in this situation and they weren't going to help him get out of it. Besides, who would want to face the wrath of Kanda Yuu and Rue Marucut, when many knew that they were infamous for that?
"Destroy Komurin 1.5!" Rue called to Kanda from far off, running far ahead of him. "I'll be going after Sir Komui, so I can trap him!"
The Japanese male wasn't going to complain about that, he was actually going with the terms his female teammate put out. After all, he already knew that she was quite agile on her feet, so it wouldn't take long before she found their cowardly superior.
With an effortless swing of Mugen, he already destroyed the machine in one go, having already dodged its weaponry before.
Meanwhile, the mixed race female was on the pursuit for Komui, pressing her gloved palms onto the floor as they glowed brown. Jagged rocks pierced the flooring, successfully surrounding the Supervisor, who was not too far off. A dark smirk was on her face as she made the earth walls higher, guaranteeing him no way out to flee.
In no time, Kanda managed to catch up to them. Seeing the cage the girl he had made, he approached it.
"Lower the walls, shorty."
A slight nod was Rue's response as she closed her eyes in concentration, Innocence glowing on her hands as the barricades retracted into the floor. As Komui was about to get away, the Japanese male had already grabbed him by the collar, lifting him up easily.
"Well, Supervisor." The sarcasm was just dripping from the title. "The shorty and I need to have a little 'talk' with you."
The male Exorcist led a scared Komui—who, by now, was already weeping in despair—back to his office, his female companion wordlessly following behind.
The moment the office door closed, a loud scream—followed by sounds of violence—could be heard for miles in the Black Order.
* * *
As Kanda left Komui's office, looking somewhat satisfied with what he did, an exasperated Lenalee was currently taking care of a howling Komui, who appreciated his little sister tending to him. Many of the Science Dept. was around, asking what happened. Rue, who had been acting like a bystander the whole time as she leaned against the office wall, still gave the Supervisor a very dark glare.
While she had her own share of violence, teaming up with Kanda and all, she was still feeling very unforgiving on what Komui did. Her right hand casually rested itself on a dagger's hilt, not to attack again, but it was more like feeling the instinct to prepare for something. At this moment, she felt really pitiless to her boss.
"I told you that when they found out, you were going to die." Lenalee sighed again as she handed over Blue Mountain coffee to her older brother to calm him down. "Reever and I said that two years ago, remember?"
"But, Lenalee—"
"Not buts! You already knew the consequences, but you still chose to ignore the warning signs!" To see Lenalee in the role reversal of an older sister was astounding to many, even to Rue. "Next time, you should ask for permission first or, at least, let people about this kind of thing ahead of time! As Supervisor, you should that better than anyone, big brother!"
"…Yes, Lenalee." A weak whimper came out from the older Lee sibling as he sipped his coffee. As his precious, younger sister, he definitely couldn't go against her.
"…I think I'll be out. I'm getting a headache. See you later to most of you; especially you, Lenalee." Rue finally spoke up, notifying the occupants curtly as she went out of the room, not once looking back.
"Ah, Rue—!" The older female tried to call her back, confused on why she had suddenly decided to leave, but it was unsuccessful.
Well, I'm quite annoyed right now about this. Well, this is one of those times when I feel ashamed for having Sir Komui as my superior sometimes. She rubbed her temples, a sharp pain stabbing her mind. I think going somewhere else will do some good…
* * *
Rue sat against the wall in some other part of the building, observing the forest outside with the night falling in. With her sketchbook in hand, this time, she was using oil pastels to draw out the scenery. Shades of greens colored the white of paper, the drawn twilight sky of the summer making it stand out more. Besides her was Marie, who she felt was the only one who capable of calming her down completely as she found that her headache lessened considerately.
"So, that's what happened!" Daisya, who was nearby, laughed out loud as Deja showed him the earlier events. "Man, no wonder you looked very mad when Marie and I found you here!"
"Of course I was." She answered coolly, a slab of red and orange marking the white. "And obviously, you should know Kanda's angry about this too."
"Well, why wouldn't he be?!" He laughed nervously this time, shivering a little from before when he received a glare from the eighteen-year-old in question, who was with them and currently sharpening Mugen. "He's still a bit pissed off. Although, I heard he's doing guard duty tonight."
"Ah, really? So, he'll be guarding the Order for tonight…"
"Ah, he's used to that kind of thing. Guess that's one of the things that give him stress relief, aside from meditating."
Kanda had no comment to this, still concentrating on sharpening his Innocence.
"Although… To take up guard duty must mean you need to be really strong. Of course, you can't be too sure on how strong intruders can be, especially if they're Akuma, so you have to keep your guard up constantly." She frowned in thought, dabbling a little more yellow and brown. "That's what makes it so dangerous, which is why it's best if two people are on guard together, so they could back each other up. But, I know Kanda's the type of person who prefers to work alone and he's strong as I've witnessed AND felt that first hand. Even so…"
She trailed off, uncertainty remaining. Hearing this got Daisya to look at her, surprise on his face. Marie, who was still besides her, gave her a questioning look. Kanda himself wasn't sure what to think of it, but he was trying to ignore the conversation. Even Deja, who had been flying around for some time, was so stunned at this that she/it almost crashed into one of the windows.
"…Why are you two looking at me like that?" Rue asked nonchalantly, confused and suspicious.
"I can't believe it!" Daisya yelled in surprise, a wide grin on his face. "You're actually worried about Kanda!"
"W-What!?" She shut her sketchbook abruptly, emotions erupting all at once: surprise, incredulity, and a strong sense of defiance. Kanda was sorely tempted to knock some sense into Daisya when he heard this, but he stayed quiet. A cold voice took over the female, trying to calm down the hot stubbornness that was ready to come out. "I am not. I am most certainly not!"
"Yes, you are!" The other howled, hooting as his "sister's" face was getting red. "Why else would you say something like that?!"
"I'm not concerned! He can take care of himself!" Her lips curved into a snarl, a sharp glare shot towards him. Then, she turned to Marie, a pleading look on her face. "Please, tell me you're not siding with Daisya. Really! I'm not worried about Kanda at all!"
"I don't know." The other replied innocently, a slight smile on his face. "But when you think about it, that's your own way of worrying for others, so…"
The statement he gave summed up her sentiments by the following: a frustrated groan, a furious headshake, and a hand slapping her forehead.
"Not you too, Marie!"
Then, she shot a glower to a grinning Deja, disgruntled that even her own golem was against her.
"Oh, don't worry, Deja. I'm not going to bother asking how you feel about this as I already know." She noted the grin, to which the golem made a sound, a loud gulp. Of course, the poor sentient device knew she/it was in for it later as these events were being recorded, like every other memory, as we speak.
After all of the racket, Kanda finally shouted as he was already at his limit, thinking all the while on how nonsensical this was.
"Tch, would you shut up about that?! I can take care of myself and I don't need the shorty to worry about me!"
"What he said!" The female agreed wholeheartedly, but they got promptly ignored.
"Now, admit it!" Daisya was very amused about this, pinching one of Rue's cheeks. "Admit that you're worried about Kanda!"
"For the last, damn time, I am not worried about Kanda at a—"
The conversation had been cut off by an extremely loud sound that could be heard all over the surrounding area of the Black Order.
"THIS GUY IS OUTTA HERE!!!"
* * *
"What's going on?!" Rue banged the office door open, walking in swiftly with Deja in tow to see many still in Komui's workplace, watching the TV as a golem was sent outside to give the visuals.
"Apparently, the Gatekeeper caught someone outside of HQ." Reever answered, watching from the couch. "You know how the Gatekeeper usually is, he usually scans those outside on whether they're human or Akuma. So, the poor soul outside has been accused as Akuma."
"Let me have a look."
Sitting next to the Squad Leader, Rue took a good look at the TV screen, observing cautiously. Outside was obviously the Gatekeeper, freaking out, but there was one other person around. A young man—who looked to be in his mid-teens—was there, oddly enough with white hair (as such a hair color would only be found on elderly people) and gray eyes. On his left eye was some sort of marking, a red pentacle, which could be easily mistaken as a tattoo. With him was a golden golem with wings and a tail, so different from the Black Order's golems and Deja.
"Eh…?" She blinked, looking at him with closer inspection. Currently, the poor male was scared out of his wits. "So, this is the person the Gatekeeper is kicking up a fuss about…"
"Although, the gold golem the boy has with him… That's a golem made by one of the Generals themselves. It was created by the one General who's been missing for quite some time, General Marian Cross."
"Ah… I see…"
"E-Eh?!" The boy wasn't sure what was going on, surprised and shocked that the Gatekeeper reacted like this.
And the Gatekeeper cried out with tears running down his face.
"This guy is a bug! The pentacle on his forehead's cursed! Out, out!!! The pentacle is the mark of an Akuma. This guy is actually… A friend of the Millennium Earl!"
"Wha-What?" The unfortunate guy was confused and stunned.
"WHAT?!" At this statement, the Science Dept. began to freak out.
"Intruder alert, intruder alert!" And the sirens went off all over the tower.
"Hey… Are the Exorcists in this building…?" Reever mumbled, unsure of what to make of this situation.
"They're all okay." A device responded, pointing to a map of the Black Order.
"Kanda is already here!" Lenalee cried out, seeing a silhouette contrasting against the bright moon, nose diving towards the supposed intruders.
On the platform of the gate, diving from above a high floor of the Black Order landed Kanda, both hands on Mugen's hilt and the sheath. From the looks of it, he was quite ready to fight. The lad looked apprehensive, unsure of how he got into this kind of predicament.
"You sure have courage, coming here alone…" Kanda spoke with a growl, a dark glare towards the boy below.
"Wa-Wait a moment!" The younger male held his hands up in surrender, trying to persuade the Japanese male otherwise. "I think you mistook me for some—"
The words had been cut off. Kanda had no patience as he swooped down and was about to assault the him. But when he did, the boy's left arm became silver and metallic, blocking Mugen's blow. However, blocking the slash out of reflex earned some damage on him.
Back in Komui's office, Rue was watching intently as did the others, amazed by that.
"That boy's arm…" She mumbled to herself, getting a closer look. "Could that be…?"
Though surprised, Kanda wouldn't dare show it, still holding Mugen in a stance.
"You… What's with that arm?"
"…This is an anti-Akuma weapon." The younger teen spoke frankly, gray eyes showing honesty. "I am an Exorcist."
"What?"
At first, the older male was confused when he said that. But when it finally came through to him, he suddenly became very angry at the Gatekeeper for making a mistake, turning around to yell at him.
"GATEKEEPER!!!"
"But, well," The talking gate sputtered nervously, trying to find a logical explanation. "If I can't determine his insides, how can we know for sure?! What if he really is an Akuma?!"
The young man protested as he heard this, quite angry as he pounded his fists on the gate, "I'm a human! Well, to tell you the truth, I'm a tiny bit cursed. But, I'm still a nice human!"
"GYAAAAAAH!!! DON'T TOUCH ME!!!"
"Hrmph. Well, whatever." Kanda mumbled, holding up Mugen's blade with his left hand; then, holding the sword's hilt with his right and arching it back, his left arm forming some sort of defensive stance. "If I check your insides, we'll know for sure!"
Mugen started to glow its ominous aura, a signal that it was activated.
"I shall slice you with Mugen."
He lunged towards the other person, ready to slam a powerful blow.
Kanda…! Rue was screaming this internally, horrified that her teammate wasn't hesitating to kill him. Are you really going to…?!
"Wait! Really, wait!" The self-claimed Exorcist cried out, his left hand—now red and deformed—held up to stop him; like that would do anything, really. "I'm not your enemy. You should've gotten a recommendation letter from General Cross!"
Instantly, Kanda stopped his attack, the tip of Mugen dangerously close to the boy's eyes. They stayed in awkward positions; Kanda holding back his sword with both hands and his feet lunged forward, really poised to strike the boy down, as the boy himself had his back against another part of the gate, his knees bent and his whole body shaking in fear.
"A letter of recommendation… From the General…?"
"Yes, a letter… Addressed to a person named Komui."
This was said as Komui was wiping his mouth as he spat out his coffee earlier when the Gatekeeper declared earlier on the boy possibly being an Akuma. And when this was heard by everyone in the room (all of the Science Dept., Lenalee, Squad Leader Reever, and Rue), all had eyes on him and he stopped wiping off the brown liquid.
"You there!" Komui suddenly declared to a random Science Dept. member.
"Y-Yes?"
"Search my desk!" And so, the Supervisor pointed to his usual, messy desk; a lot of paperwork was piled everywhere and one could see a cobweb or two forming.
"Tha… That…"
All of the occupants weren't sure what to think of him as they stared at him in disbelief.
"Big brother Komui…" Lenalee mumbled incredulously, giving him a reprimanding look.
"Supervisor Komui…" Reever growled at him, appalled on how lazy his leader is.
"Sir Komui…" Even Rue had nothing to say, her palm meeting her face. Perhaps, she was embarrassed yet again towards the Supervisor.
"I'll help too!" Komui suddenly said, running over to his untidy table, not liking the looks he was getting because of his slothfulness. Once the letter was found under the cluttered pile, he asked the same member to read it.
"'To Komui: I will be sending a kid named Allen over there. Thanks. From Cross.'"
"Right! So, it's true." The Supervisor clarified with a gleam in his eyes, going elsewhere in the room to get another cup of coffee. "Squad Leader Reever, stop Kanda!"
"Clean your desk once in a while!" Reever snarled at him, clearly giving a lecture to the lazy Supervisor on his tidiness as he scurried off to do as he told. Rue, feeling like she should do something about this as Kanda was her teammate, hurried off after Reever. As usual, Deja followed her/its mistress, wanting to get the scoop about this.
"Lenalee." The older Lee sibling called his younger sister, a smile on his face as he grabbed the coffee pot to pour himself another cup. "Help me set up. A new member has arrived."
"O-Open the gate?!" The Gatekeeper couldn't have felt any more nervous t than this, letting Allen walk into Black Order HQ.
"A boy sent by Cross, huh…" Komui murmured to himself, a smirk on his face. "I'll have some fun judging him~"
Hitomi: Done!
XD I bet you all of you were thinking something serious happened in the beginning of this chapter. But nope! Everyone in the Black Order is watching Kanda and Rue fight, making bets on who'll win. And yet, it ends up being another draw! *cracks up* And yeah, as you can see, Edina is alive and well. She wasn't around these last couple of chapters since she was into a coma as Armando said. Lord, why I made this kind of character, I don't know… But, Edina is the type to have a bad attitude like that. And nope, she doesn't know Rue's female whereas Armando knew the whole time (how, I've yet to say).
Rue's fifteen now, her height and weight having changed… And Deja is still around. And her Innocence synchronization now is 86%. I'd say that's a decent amount, given on how harsh Kanda is with his training. But, I'm laughing on how Komui observes that Rue is a little more… Perhaps, quiet than usual. Well, Lavi hasn't been around, so she does miss him, whether she likes admitting it or not.
Even Daisya and Lenalee sensed this (though Lenalee was respectful enough not to pry on Rue's thoughts). XD And chaos finally breaks out when Lenalee reveals it's her brother who set Rue up to be in the General Tiedoll unit to make Kanda and her get along. *grins* The fact she threatens said-teammate by permanently calling him by THAT NAME got him up in a jiffy. And off they went to kill Komui and Komurin III (if you're wondering how I and II got destroyed – Kanda destroyed I and Lavi and Rue destroyed II).
And now, you see the embarrassed Rue when it comes to Komui (and Kanda). Because of Komui being like that sometimes is why Rue is baffled that he's her Supervisor. XD And whether she wants to admit it or not, she IS worried about Kanda when she says that – at least, to a certain degree.
And now, Allen and Timcampy finally arrive! *smiles* Finally, I wanted them to be around. Obviously, I derived this scene from the manga. XD And once again, Rue's embarrassed to have Komui as her Supervisor because of that scenario with his messy desk and finding Cross's letter. I've a feeling that, by next chapter, Rue will probably be chastising Kanda because of him about to kill the poor boy. Let's see how Allen and Rue will get along, though.
Next chapter… Let's see what it'll be about! Thank you for reading~