Author Notes: I'm so sorry! I really am!! TTATT I've been extremely occupied by dinners with relatives and outings with my old friends from my old school… So I haven't had a chance to actually write much! SO SORRY!!! *bows*
Disclaimer: I don't own -Man or anything related to it.
Instantly leaping out of harms way, Didi and Zu only escaped the speeding bell by a hair's breadth while Kanda simple sidestepped to avoid the ball without drawing Mugen out of its scabbard. Kanda smirked devilishly in response to Daisya's 'poor' attack and unsheathed Mugen as it gleamed under the lights. "Mugen, activate!" As he traced his index and middle finger down the blade's smooth surface, the black katana shined a brilliant shade of blue as the blade became shimmering silver.
"T-t-they started without us saying anything…" Didi stammered as he crawled over where Zu was, watching the two exorcists fight in the training grounds while debris flew in all directions.
"That's what I call a good swordsman. Straight and to the point!" Zu grinned widely as he watched Kanda.
●Кαηδα Ġαιδεή●
Without a word, Kanda leapt into action. In the blink of the eye, he was already within close combat range. Daisya was awestruck by his speed but then grinned happily – this was exactly the type of challenge he wanted to engage himself in, after all, life was meaningless without challenges. Mugen's sharp edge sliced through the air as the Turkish boy back flipped out of harm's way.
"Watch out, newbie!" Daisya sneered.
Hearing the whistling of the wind as something surged through the air towards him, Kanda ducked only to nearly have the golden bell that had been kicked like a ball at him earlier nearly slam into the side of his face. He hadn't expected the bell to actually move like a boomerang and return to its starting point after being kicked. For a second, doubt and uncertainty was reflected in Kanda's pitch black eyes but then those feelings were replaced by mischievousness. 'I'll just have to keep up my speed and pay attention to my surroundings then…' Kanda smirked. This wasn't even a challenge for him. As he organized his thoughts and what he knows of this Turkish boy, a plan and strategy to defeating him began to form, spinning into one big masterpiece like a spider spinning a web to trap its prey.
Huddled close to the sturdy stone walls, Zu observed Kanda's swordsmanship carefully. 'Perfectly executed attacks, dodges and defence. Firm fluent strikes. Quick movements. Effective usage of the surrounding terrain. This kid's got talent alright.' The scientist beside him only stared at the battle in awe. He had never witnessed a battle between exorcists; especially when one of them was a talented expert with swords. The training grounds echoed with the resonating sounds of a bell ringing violently and crumbling stone. As the battle wore on, the strength of the two exorcists seemingly evaporated into thin air since they couldn't break through each other's defence. Simply put, their strength was matched despite their difference in fighting styles and choice of weapon.
"That's enough," A rough voice boomed in the large room that was now half destroyed with chunks of rock still falling from large dents in the walls as if an invisible meteor had decided to embed itself there. The two teenagers in black and white coats huffed and puffed as sweat rolled off their faces. The silver blade of the katana that Kanda held in his hand slowly returned to its normal pitch black state while Daisya placed a foot on top of his golden bell. "That was a fabulous match, Kanda; I doubt anyone within the Black Order can match your swordsmanship. Not only did you effectively use your surroundings and deliver your blows firmly, I believe you had a strategy in mind? Sadly, I doubt it came out with the same expected result."
"Che." Kanda frowned and glared at the Turkish boy opposite him who grinned as Didi excitedly spilled out a bucket load of compliments to him. The next day, the whole Black Order were mumbling about the battle that had taken place that day and about how the new kid was a talented swordsman with impressive skills.
●Кαηδα Ġαιδεή●
"I heard about your battle with Daisya Barry, Kanda." Head Officer Wales said as he pressed a button on the lift. They wouldn't usually take the lift but the platform they usually used was under maintenance. "I heard your skill improved again."
"…People gain experience from battles…" Kanda quietly replied as the lift started to descend to the basement where Hevlaska resided.
"Oh… Then I suppose your training wasn't for naught then." Head Officer Wales jokingly said as they exited the lift and made their way into the depths of the headquarters. Kanda growled unhappily from behind Head Officer Wales, making him laugh.
When they left the dark corridor, they arrived onto a bridge that connected from one side of the large room to the other. As they made their way to the centre of the bridge, Kanda's boots clanged against the metal, making the noise echo in the room. When the pair came to stop in the middle, a silver white glow flared from below them and then a figure started to piece itself together from the light like a puzzle. Soon, the tall towering figure's features were finally distinguishable by Kanda.
"Ah…" Hevlaska began softly as a holy aura seemingly surrounded her, "Welcome back, Kanda Yuu." Kanda nodded respectfully at Hevlaska. "I too have heard of your battle against Daisya Barry," Kanda grumbled something inaudible, "But let us tarry no longer; I do believe General Tiedoll has matters to discuss with you."
Before Kanda could ponder on Hevlaska's words, strands of Hevlaska's hair had already wrapped themselves around his body and lifted him off the ground. She held him up to her face until their foreheads touched only slightly. "10…30…50…60…70…80…85…89…" The constant whispers of Hevlaska's voice echoed eerily in the dark room. "It seems you have improved Kanda Yuu; your current synchronisation rate is 89%."
Replacing him safely on the bridge, Hevlaska gently untangled her hair from his body and said, "Your future is marked with numerous obstacles and challenges await you. However, you will not be able to overcome your challenges without sacrifice."
"Kanda, you should think about Hevlaska's words; her prophecies are really accurate." Head Officer Wales looked at the fourteen year old worriedly. "Mark her words."
●Кαηδα Ġαιδεή●
The wooden door swung open as the Japanese boy walked into his quarters in a half asleep state. But his black eyes widened in surprise at his guest that stood looking out his window. After a while, the surprised facial expression was soon replaced with a frown and a glare that could kill the scariest monsters on the face of Earth. Kicking the door shut behind him, the door slammed shut as if to announce the room owner's arrival. The grey haired man didn't flinch but only continued to stare out at the sun that slowly dipped behind the horizon in the distance; shades of orange, red, purple and a little blue splashed across the sky like watercolour on a piece of paper.
"Isn't it a beautiful sunset?"
"…I should be the one asking questions."
"Then fire away, Yuu; I understand that sons always have questions for their beloved fathers."
At first there was silence. "Why the hell are you in my room!?" Kanda screamed angrily at the French man. "And I'm not your bloody son!"
Tiedoll had blocked his ears in time to reduce the volume, "Pupils and sons are equal to me; after all, as your master, I have the responsibility of looking after you as if you were my own child. And I'm not deaf Yuu, you don't need to shout, my beloved son." The grey haired man turned to smile warmly at his pupil.
Kanda started to speak but was interrupted, "Stop calling me your –"
"Ah, I understand. That was a shout of love for me, your dearest father wasn't it?" Tiedoll placed a hand on Kanda's head and ruffled his hair, "Oh my, I know that you can't express your love for me in a proper way…"
"General Froi Tiedoll, that's not it. Please stop calling me your son; it's disgusting. And don't ruffle my hair." Kanda said stiffly as the general continued to ramble on and on while ruffling his hair. Kanda didn't have that much strength left to get mad at the annoying French man anymore; he's already had enough trouble with nearly all of the Black Order coming up to him and praising him about his skills during his battle with Daisya yesterday. Grabbing the general's wrist and taking it off his head, Kanda sat lazily on his bed and added, "I hate your attitude; just get straight to the point."
"From now on, you're officially an exorcist. You'll commence work for the Black Order from now onwards and I will continue on my journey to accomplish my mission. You'll have to co-operate with other exorcists and numerous finders, so be nice." Tiedoll smiled as the last of the sun's warm light sank beneath the horizon.