Disclaimerooni: Howdy doo, I don't own a thing! Except for a stupidly violent Ai!
AN: Heeeeeeeeeeyyyyyyyyyyyoooooo ! How are you all doing? I hope it's been a nice couple of weeks! I'm going to be trying out some 'creator connection' convos up here further down in the author's notes so it isn't so boring :D
Sorry for the late update, but I do bring *cue funky shimmy here* art of Ai and Lavi XD You may have noticed, well, hopefully the change has happened by now, but I'll be putting up the art done by Crys23 on deviantArt of Ai and Lavi as the story cover. She is a fantastic artist, and I could fangirl just a little by which I mean a lot over the picture XD
Ai:Leave it to your mind to come up with something like that...*sighs*
Chippy:Aw, shut up you tsundere! You love to establish how manly you are! *Cackles*
Ai:Tsundere?...If anything, I think I'm more kuudere.
Chippy:I guess you would like to think you're cool, huh?
Ai:*roundhouse kicks Chippy* At least I'm not some otaku girl.
Chippy:;_; That's harsh, Ai.
Ai:Hehe, tough love works. Let's get on with the story! Oh, and I guess since you guys are always really kind *scratches cheek with a little blush*, I'd be happy to answer any questions you guys have, no matter how weird. Though I might have to kill you afterwards.
Chippy:NO, you won't. Well, to get the ball rolling...WEIRD AI FACT NUMBER 1: Due to her careful nature, our Ai over here doesn't close her eyes in the shower, even when there's soap in her eyes! The bath this time was a bit of an exception, Ai's getting a little lax. That's it! I certainly hope you enjoy the chapter!
"Rellin?" I called around the room, hoping she could help me make the swap. I saw the window was open a crack, letting in cold air and Rellin was nowhere to be seen.
Geez, what a time to be exploring…
I frowned at my state of undress, I needed the underwear and bras I had packed, and there was very little chance I was going to find a pair in Lavi's bag. I unlocked the door, hoping I could find Delaney to help me when I had to jump back to avoid being hit by the door.
"Ai~ I have your bag!" Lavi smiled cheerfully as he waved the object around. He spotted me and blinked, his gaze running up and down as his cheeks slowly turned red.
"Oh, of course you should burst in on a maiden only clad in a towel!" I rolled my eyes in pure frustration, one arm instantly shooting up across my chest , my other arm going down to tug my now what seemed to be very small towel down below my thighs. If I had any of my weapons on me I would've thrown them at him full pelt, but even I took them off for baths. Despite my hardy, tight lipped expression, I felt my face slowly heat up even when my mind desperately told it not to. "Ai, you look good with your hair down~ Among other things…" He smiled slyly.
"Clearly, you missed an important lesson in your life dubbed 'Don't stare at a half naked girl unless she gives you permission'." I grimaced, shushing him quickly with a wave of my hand. "And before you ask, I do not give you permission!"
"But I have your things…" Lavi grinned again, holding out the bag. I dashed forward for snatch it out of his hands, but he yanked it back at the last minute, laughing cheekily. My cheeks still burned and I was getting very embarrassed, playing keepings off in just a towel, and losing horribly.
I would like my hand eye coordination to work around now, thank you.
"Damn it, Lavi!" I ran out of patience and tackled him to the ground, making sure my towel stayed around me while I kneeled on his chest and pried the bag out of his fingers, glaring at him for good measure. "Don't play stupid games while I'm freezing!"
"But you look pretty hot." Lavi chuckled to himself at the pun, but for some reason very clearly avoided looking at me.
"Oh, shut up, bookworm," I grumbled, but now oddly interested in why he was so adamantly looking at the ceiling.
Since when was he so courteous? You'd think he'd be catching all the peeks he could…it's not like my body's that bad, is it? I mean, I do have a lot of scars, and my legs might not be as slim as Lenalee's…and my bust might not as impressive…
A slow emotion started growing in my stomach, an odd thing that seemed to target teenage girls specifically, even one as emotionally messed up as me. One thing that made Lavi so easily likeable had always been his easygoing nature, and one that further made girls so easily drawn to him was his flattering, albeit sometimes perverted compliments. I liked to think I was above being lured in by something so easy, but it was one thing not to be bought by compliments, another to think that the one you claimed as 'yours' didn't really…want to be yours.
"Um…is there still something you need from me, Ai?" Lavi asked, a little sheepishly from the floor. He still spoke to the ceiling, and I frowned, leaning closer to trap his head with my hands…after making sure my towel was well and truly tucked in. He blinked as a few drops of water fell onto his face from my hair. I scrutinised his softly shining red hair, and his energetic green eyes, shining brightly with vigour even in the dark. "I-is there something wrong?"
"Better to ask if you think there's something wrong with me?" I moved further down, so I leaned my elbows on his shoulders instead, slapping his cheeks lightly with both my hands, forcing him to look at me.
"W-what? Why would there be something wrong with you?" Lavi finally looked at me, cheeks going slightly red, either from my slaps or-
"W-well, I don't know…" I felt my expression turn a little…pouty? "Argh, never mind!" I sat up, ruffling my wet hair and feeling my face get even warmer.
"Wait…" Lavi caught my hand as I started to stand up, eyes narrowing in thought. "Hahaha! Are you offended I'm not peeking, Ai?" he began to laugh, the easy going laugh that I really liked, so hard that it looked like he was crying.
Shit. He figured it out.
"Damn it, shut up!" I cried, the sounds muffled from my hands and really, I was now just embarrassed. "It's stupid, it's stupid, I get it, I get it!"
His laughter slowed to a trickle and he patted my head.
"Ai," he murmured, and I peered through my fingers, his change of voice surprising me. He smiled kindly and I blinked, hands falling away from my face. "Here, maybe this will reassure you."
He took off his green headband, sliding it onto my head in one swift motion. It covered my eyes for an instant, and I felt him sit up to face me as darkness filled my vision. My eyes widened as I felt a soft warmth on my lips, an equally calm, gentle pressure against mine. My heart immediately accelerated as I felt his soft breath against my still shell shocked lips, one arm behind my head to hold the green bandana across my eyes and the other gently resting against my cheek. It was a butterfly kiss, a soft, fleeting one, but gentle and sweet. My eyes closed beneath the bandana, my hand reaching up slowly to grab his.
"…Bookworm…?" I whispered, moving my hand to try move the headband.
"N-no! Don't move that!" he instantly cried, and I tilted my head, feeling his cool breath against my heated cheeks.
"Why not?"
"Well, because…just because!"
…Suspicious.
I slowly shifted my head out of the headband without him noticing and peeked over the top, a smile making its way across my face as I saw him. He was redder than his hair, and a silly smile gracing his face. I tugged the headband off and pulled him up by the elbow, grabbing his shoulders and going onto my tippy toes so I could kiss him on the forehead.
"Thank you, Lavi. Go to bed now, it's late." I ruffled him on the head, realising in a distant part of my head that it was one of the first times I had patted him on the head.
"Mm! Nighty night, Ai!" he gave a cheerful nod and a small salute before walking, or rather, skipping out. I changed into my night dress and slid into the bed, letting the silky smoothness of the bed sheets lull me into a half semblance of peaceful sleep.
I woke up far earlier than I expected by the excited chirping of the birds right outside my window.
"Urgh, shut up…." I groaned, throwing the covers over my head. I had slept better than I had expected, and I didn't have any nightmares. That I could remember. I sat up groggily, rubbing my head tiredly. Rellin stirred and flew over, settling down on my frazzled hair and snuggling into it like it was an actual bird nest. It wasn't too cold or too warm, and I dressed quickly, tying my hair up haphazardly and peeking out into the hall. I snuck out into the hallway, feeling like a thief, possibly because most of the time I was in these places was for shadier reasons. It felt a little weird to actually be a guest in a house like this.
I heard light footsteps around the corner and reached for the window immediately. For some reason, I didn't feel like making human contact and tiptoed out onto the ledge. I wasn't too high up, and I slid the window down behind me, slowly reaching down to grab the ledge and jump to the ground as softly as I could. The morning air was refreshing and colours like purple and a velvety pink filled the sky as the sun slowly rose. Rellin turned into the lady and skipped ahead cheerfully like she didn't have a care in the world.
We appeared to be in the backyard of the estate, the huge backyard that seemed to stretch on forever. What did they even do with all this space? Trees littered the garden and a little pathway twined itself around the miniature make shift forest and I took a deep, relaxing breath before I strolled down the tiny road. For some time, I just followed the pathway, occasionally catching glimpses of Rellin prancing around like a deer, or rabbit, when I saw a flash of foreign colour that didn't belong with all the other natural colours. It was a soothing red, and I stepped forward cautiously. It appeared to be Aimée in a long silky robe, kneeling in front of a tree. It wasn't that tall, tall enough that it was about the same height as me. She was staring at it quietly, hair no longer tied up so formally. I didn't know whether I should approach or just leave her alone, but Rellin ran straight into a pile of leaves, sending them scattering everywhere. I sighed, shaking my head as Aimée looked up at the sound. She immediately smiled and stood up, dusting herself off and running her fingers through her hair.
"Uh, good morning…sorry to just wonder around here…" I mumbled sheepishly. She waved me over and shook her head.
"No, you're free to go anywhere you want. I'm glad you like the garden." She smiled gently, giving her a motherly feel.
"Yeah, it's very well kept."I glanced around, taking in the evenly trimmed grass and neat piles of leaves. Well, one less since Rellin knocked it over. "Clean that up, Rel, you can't go around ruining people's work."
She pouted and bent over, picking up the leaves one by one and tossing them back, getting distracted by the fluttering patterns before long.
"Um, just what is that….person?"Aimée asked hesitantly.
"Oh, it's…uh a golem. Kind of like a wireless communicating device. In the shape of a person. I don't really understand it!" I laughed.
"I see…she's very pretty…" she smiled.
"As pretty as a wireless communicating device can get, I suppose." I took in Rellin's, rather, my mother's delicate oriental features. "If you don't mind me asking, why are you and your husband such dedicated supporters of the church? I mean, don't get me wrong, we're extremely grateful…."
She was silent for a moment and I was afraid I had said the wrong thing.
"We used to have two daughters…twins, Arianne and Arienne. Oh, they were beautiful, those two. I might just sound like a doting mother, but really, those two…." She trailed off, staring back at the tree. 'Were', 'used to'…past tense.
Oh, this is doesn't have a happy ending, does it…
"They were closer than normal siblings, they were like two halves to a whole. Couldn't stand being apart from each other. Which is why when Arianne died from pneumonia, Arienne called her back as an akuma." She ducked her head, running her fingers along the barky trunk of the tree. "When she started acting a little odd, we just thought she missed her sister….we never thought, never would've dreamed that such a thing…"
I stayed silent, waiting for her to gather her thoughts and catch the breath that seemed stuck in her throat.
"I'm sure she would have killed us, had this exorcist not shown up. A woman, with a…pet? A…monkey, or something. She didn't stay long, but she explained briefly."
"It sounds like one of our generals, General Klaud…" I said uselessly.
"General Klaud, was it? She was very sympathetic. Ever since then, we just wanted to devote our lives to defeating whatever it is that destroyed our daughters, any way we could." Aimée looked up and smiled tiredly. "We want to support you exorcists any way we can because you are our saviours, the only ones that can save the world from this…this horror."
"W-well, we're not that special!" I said hurriedly, rubbing my neck nervously. "But we do want to stop these things from happening to other people. We'll work hard to fill your expectations the best we can." I walked up to the tree, and I saw names carved further down on the trunk in a childish manner.
'Arie and Aria'
"Thank you so much." Aimée blinked, holding back tears that sparkled in the corners of her eyes from the sunlight that was slowly pouring over the walls into the garden. "Now, that's enough of sadness for the day, the sun has barely risen! Let's get inside and have some breakfast, we can plan out the day." She dabbed the tears away and placed a hand on my elbow, leading me back into the house. I was introduced to Mr. Desrosiers, a black haired man with slightly greying hair and gentle crinkled eyes, who had an amazingly hearty laugh, and breakfast was a cheerful event altogether, if not a little awkward for me. Only Bookman joined us, Lavi didn't join us until much later.
AN: I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I've just been sitting here, studying and dying...;_; you guys really are the only things keeping me going, so as always, I'm really thankful to my reviewers, alerters, favers, because I really do see every single one and it really makes a difference to my day! TAKE ALL MY LOVE AND THE FLUFF IN MY POCKETS. Thank you so much for reading, and I hope to see you next time!