My excuse: apparently I cannot convince to type up my fanfic while I work on my paper. Apologies T T
Chapter 26
Red's POV
Lulubell was burning incense in her room, the smell clashing with the fragrant tea she was making for us to share. Or perhaps the scents were complimentary. Her tea smelled fruity, the incense musky. The combination was very nearly heady.
"I have sent Leverrier a letter requesting hi presence here with me I suggested that, as a reward for his loyalty to the Noah, he come share a private dinner with me," she told me, her aura serene. I heard the clink of fine pottery, and briefly wondered why she had her own tea, own pottery, and own supplies to bowl water. The Akuma could do it for her. But then, I had never been in her room as a child, and therefore do not know its true function. Did she live in it? Or did she use it to entertain guests? If she used this room for the latter, then that explained everything. A Noah serving a guest would make her seem more human, and therefore people will think themselves capable of acting normally. "During his stay, I want you to recruit Kanda Yuu and have him help gather evidence against Leverrier. He may be useful to find more allies as well."
"Your request to Leverrier will make it seem like an invitation in his eyes," I warned her. "He will think that you intend to give him his reward with your own body."
A pot began to whistle. Lulubell let it go for a minute or so.
"Most of Leverrier's ilk think in that way. If things do not progress favorably, then I will do anything in my power to distract him," Lulubell answered. I wondered how her emotions could remain so calm when discussing such a vile matter. I suppose she is used to such situations and thinks of this as yet another possible outcome. "I am no virgin and Leverrier is not the first scum I will have slept with."
She stood, the rustle of her clothing and the short cut off of the kettle's whistle indicating that she had pulled the pot from the heating surface. Pottery clattered, water poured. The sweet fragrance intensified, no longer a dry quality.
"Lady Lulubell, I would ask that you do not give into such desperate measures," I told her. "That man is like a poison. He will corrupt you, corroding you from the inside out with his stain."
Lulubell gave a hum of false agreement; I could sense her doubt in my words. But it did not matter. She would either heed my warning, or she would learn, I hoped that she would listen to me, but she is an independent woman with her own thoughts, pride, and confidence.
"In terms of cunningness, how dangerous is this man?" Lulubell asked, changing the subject. She approached me, grabbing one of my hands in hers, pulling it towards her body, I think. My fingers met the smooth surface of hot ceramic. I understood and grasped the cup with both of my hands. "Let it steep for a few minutes."
It felt nice, holding the fragile cup. The warmth felt good against my palms and the pads of my fingers. The scent was pleasant. I could feel myself relaxing.
"He is by no means a moron. Leverrier has the ability to think ahead and carry out complex plots," I replied. "He is especially skilled at manipulation. However, his manipulation is utilized through intimidation, and his 'complex plots' never delve deeper in foresight than the near future."
"Then he is not as dangerous as we fear him to be?" Lulubell asked me.
"More than his cunning, his ambition is what makes him so dangerous," I corrected. "Over the years this ambition has consumed him to the point where even his own loose morals can no longer confine him."
Lulubell's mind was wandering, leaping from thought to thought if her dizzying myriad of emotions flickering by in short bursts were anything for me to interpret.
"You will need to go before he comes here in two days' time. Can I send you in such a short amount of time? Can you prepare in two days? Will Kanda have enough time to be made aware of our plan and our intentions?"
"Kanda will be no problem. He is willing to do anything if it will harm Leverrier," I assured her. "As for arousing suspicions if I leave the Ark so soon after carrying out Leverrier's orders…I may need to go under a disguise."
"A disguise," Lulubell mused. "If you do go that route, then I would rather you have someone accompany you."
"I can navigate without another person's aid," I reminded her. "I am an Exorcist, after all."
"That may be so. However, I cannot risk any danger befalling you on a mission as important as this one. You will not go alone," she replied. "And to be frank, you can only be safe with a Noah, so your companion will be one of the members of my family."
Surprise filled me. "You intend to send me with a Noah? Is that not going to draw attention?"
"The people do not know the faces of the Noahs, let alone know a Noah well enough to recognize him or her in casual clothing," Lulubell explained. "Some of us frequent the Vatican more than others. Tyki, Sheryl, Road, Skin; they are the Noahs more well-known on the city streets. Maitora, Fiidora, the twins, and myself are less known there, but better known in festivals and politics."
"If none of them can take me because of their notoriety, then you mean Neah or Mana will accompany me," I realized. "One would rather die than consort with me, and the other has not been a Noah for long. He is not skilled enough to reliably use his abilities."
"I intend to send Mana with you," she confirmed. "He has not been the streets for years, and he knows how to use his powers. He can protect you."
"He will not protect me," I argued, knowing Mana's stubbornness—and hatred—knew no boundaries. "Remember, he still holds a grudge against me."
"I will make sure that he wants to help you," she promised me. I sensed no lie. "I can talk to him, explain what is going on. He will do it when he hears of Leverrier's plans. I think if he knows what he has done, his sense of justice will cause him to want that man imprisoned more than he wants to sabotage you."
Will he really help me if he learns of Leverrier's crimes? I wondered.
"Is Mana's sense of justice really that strong?" I asked her dubiously.
"He is softer at heart than you think. If he knew what really went on, the things he has done with his own two hands, then he would be out for blood," she replied. "I also know now that he had something to do with the death of Allen…for that, he will want justice as well."
"How do you know that?" I asked her, a little surprised and worried that she would discover something else. If she had learned that, then she could possibly learn my true fate.
"It does not matter," she replied. "But I swear to you that Mana will help you in this."
"Lulubell," I said after a while. "Why did Mana leave his son? Did he care what happened to his son?"
"Of course he did. When Mana left, he believed that we would take care of his son, help him find a family to adopt him so he could live a normal, peaceful life." She gave a small sigh. "We are the ones who broke his trust, and we handed that boy over to Leverrier."
I trembled, still unable to wrap my mind around the fact that Mana had left me thinking that I would live a good life. It seemed so ironic, it made me feel sick.
"I will work with whoever you want me to," I said at last.
Mana's POV
I turned the leather bracelet in my hand, not sure what to do with it. I had made it for Allen, always intending to give it to him as a gift, something to remember me by. And something to remind him that I loved him. But now Allen is gone, and this bracelet is the only thing for me to remember him by. Even his clothes had been removed from my room years ago.
The door to my room opened. I looked up and found Lulubell approaching me. Her hair was down, her clothes casual. She looked like a normal woman, especially with that expression. So serious…I knew she had bad news to deliver.
"I suppose this is not a friendly visit," I guessed, turning towards her in my chair. MY fingers still toyed at the bracelet absent-mindedly.
"It depends on how you want to look at it," she replied, coming towards me. I was shocked when she kneeled before me, touching my knees as a child might. Even the expression she looked up at me with was reminiscent of a child's. "Mana, forgive me for not telling you before…I have wronged you over and over again it seems…"
I could see now that she was this close to me that she had heavy guilt in her eyes, and that tears threatened to spill from reddened eyes. "I am ashamed of myself for doing something…that I knew was wrong."
"Lulubell, what is wrong?" I asked her numbly, feeling a growing sense of dread in my heart. "This is not like you at all."
"Did you know that I loved Allen too?" she asked me, smiling bitterly to herself. "I did not want to show it, for what kind of Noah would love a human child when we live for so long, and they live for so few years?"
"Lulubell?" I questioned uncertainly. She met my gaze, and I saw a thousand years worth of grief and regret there. Was this for Allen?
"Mana, I knew when we gave Allen away that he would end up somewhere awful. I knew he was going to be placed in the hands of an evil man. And still, I gave Allen to him," she confessed, the tears spilling over. She took her hand from my knee briefly to dash them away. "I now know that his man is the one who killed Allen. I have no evidence, but I know he would have done it."
Allen. Killed? No, she must be wrong.
"Lulubell, what are you talking about? I thought Allen died of illness!"
She shook her head.
"No. They may have said that, but I know that man would not have let Allen go free like I hoped he would," she replied. "If he died, it was that man's fault."
"Who is this person?" I asked, feeling like a spindle top. My heart felt wobbly, like at any moment it would simply topple over. If he was murdered, why? He was a simple, harmless, sweet-ish child. What sort of monster kills children like that?
"Cardinal Leverrier," she answered me. "I knew he was a corrupted man, but I did not know how much until—"
She broke off looking down.
"I did not know until Red told me of his plots and his nefarious plan," she finished at last. "Leverrier is the master of the Exorcists and he has been using them to capture people and test the water in the Abyss. He intends to become a Noah."
Abruptly I tore away from her. I strode over to the window, staring outside. Allen used to like to look at the sky. He loved the light. He was like the light, despite his foul mouth and his less-than-pleasant disposition. With a roar I struck the hard crystal window and punched it with all of my might. The rock beneath my fist cracked, and then began to repair itself.
Tears fell from my eyes. Bitterness. Anger. Rage. Hatred. Sadness.
Why did he make Allen suffer so much? Why did he take him from this world?
"I am sorry, Mana," Lulubell told me, still seated on the floor. A strong woman despite the grief written in her eyes. "Please forgive me for wronging you and for wronging Allen.
I was no less at fault than her. The only one who could forgive us is Allen. But even he has gone to dust by now.
::
Lulubell explained Leverrier's actions to me and Red's involvement as well as his intentions to spy for us. I do not know what changed inside of me, but I did not want him to risk his life. I may not like him as a person, but somehow I am becoming more aware of the true extent to the evilness of Leverrier. I did not want him to continue to win, did not want him to end another young life. And no matter how corrupt Red has become, I know his is very, very young. Maybe that is the reason I agreed, no matter how reluctantly, to be his escort in the city.
Although, I most certainly did not agree to picking out his clothes or fixing his appearance for him like a parent would.
"You look like a merchant now," I informed Red bluntly. He scowled—I was surprised earlier today at the wide range of emotions he now expressed on his face, but by now I had grown accustomed to it.
"A blind merchant draws too much attention," he muttered, throwing off the coat in frustration. He sat down on his bed and began to undo his boots. I stood from my chair, putting a hand on his shoulder to stop him.
"Wait, the boots are fine, simply change the coat and the shirt," I told him. I scrutinized him and as an afterthought snatched the cloth from over his eyes. He flinched away, hand reaching out to snatch it back. He missed by several inches.
He looked young, but much younger than I had thought. I initially put him around twenty years of age. He could be no older than sixteen. Allen's age, if he had lived. No, it was more than that. He could be Allen's twin. His eyes were a beautiful silver, his facial structure more mature, but very similar to my son's and with his hair…yes they could most definitely be twins. The biggest distinction between the two would only be the scar through his eye and the pentagram above it. That was a stark scar; we would need to use Lulubell's supply of make up to disguise it.
"Why did you do that?" Red demanded.
"You would be less noticed if people could not tell you are blind," I explained. I went to his closet, taking out another shirt and coat. I put them on the bed next to Red. "Here. Change into this. I put something on your bed."
"Will you turn around again, please?" he requested softly.
"If you insist on it. But I am not here to see you shirtless," I responded, slightly annoyed by his shyness. He hesitated, and I knew it was because he felt insecure about something. Feeling a little guilty, I added, "I also do not have an interest in your life either."
A somewhat peeved expression crossed his face. But he did seem less hesitant than before. He slipped out of the shirt he was wearing and into the new one I left for him on the bed. Seeing the scars on his skin made my earlier hatred for Leverrier return, as well as the anger when thinking about what he could have done to Allen. Then an awful thought crossed my mind.
What if Allen had become like Red?
Immediately I brushed away the thought. The damage was done anyway. I could not look at Red the same way. I could not hate him any longer. He is the product of Leverrier's cruelty and control. He is a victim, like Allen was. And Allen could have been like him. If I hate Red for that, then I would have to hate Allen. And I would not do that.
I looked back at Red, studying him. He had not broken under Leverrier's law. He was strong, resilient. I respected and admired that.
Red finished dressing. I shook away my musings, giving him my present attention.
"Is this suitable?" he asked me. His question made me want to laugh. He looked like a nice, normal young man, pentagram aside. It made a pang of sadness course through me. He would likely never be able to live a normal life.
"Quite. Now we only need to hide that mark and do something with your hair," I told him. "Come, We shall go to Lulubell's room."
We departed; first he grabbed his gun and blade. Lulubell brought us into her room, bringing ot a kit filled with makeup and a few hair ties and hair pins.
"I shall apply the makeup," she told me with a glimmer of her regret still in her eyes, but also a glimmer of hope. I quickly understood that she was starting to fall in love with Red. She was beginning to think of him as her son. "You can fix his hair."
I made a face and she laughed. But I knew nothing of makeup, and she likely knew nothing of men's hairstyles. It was only fair.
"What exactly will you two be doing to me?" Red asked.
"Lulubell will use her magic touch to hide that mark of yours, and perhaps make your skin tone a little darker," I explained. "And I will…"
I stopped, surveying his mess of hair. It had grown a little since we had met. It was long enough to style. It would not need a cut. Since he could pass for fourteen to sixteen, a few braids here and there would suffice.
"I will get these tangles out of your hair," I finished.
"I most certainly do not have tangles!" he exclaimed, the loudness of his voice startling both me and Lulubell. I was impressed. He was regressing into a child, something I found interesting and amusing.
He probably had no childhood, my traitorous mind whispered. It was an assumption I did not want to face yet, so ignored it.
But a childish Red. Somehow the thought was somewhat endearing.
I cursed beneath my breath. Now Allen was growing on me. Even worse, I know he has gotten beneath my skin.
"What is wrong?" Red asked. I shoved him down onto the carpet of Lulubell's floor
"Just let us get to work," I replied.