Whew! Hao's latest stunt must have shaken the Yona fans. Here is a breather then… a Lyserg/Jeanne break. I'm not sure about the age of the characters so I made up my own ages. You can inform me later on how old the two really are.
Jess, yung sampalan blues, next Thursday. Episode 39, binilang ko na. ^^
Lyserg put on his cap then closed his suitcase. He was going to follow Yoh into the Izumo forest, and at the same time, target Hao. Justice would finally be delivered.
He dropped by the chapel, hoping to see Jeanne even for the last time. He failed to see even her shadow, and he noticed Marco standing by the altar, watching him silently. He knew those measuring looks – Marco meant business when he told him to keep away from the young lady leader of the X-Laws.
He knelt on the pew and made the sign of the cross. He would hang out here for a few more minutes, hoping that he would be able to see Jeanne.
As he closed his eyes, he suddenly remembered his past.
Lyserg knelt before the grave of his deceased parents. He was still in a daze – just this morning, he was given a mystery by his father: one that if he would find, he would have access to his special twelfth birthday gift.
"You will find it where the twelve cats chasing a mouse would run to," said his father, winking.
It took him quite a while to solve the mystery, but then he remembered a nursery rhyme, something about the mouse running up a clock. There was only one prominent clock in London, the Big Ben. He dashed towards it excitedly, and indeed, twelve minutes after one in the afternoon, he heard a peculiar sound. A glittering key then fell from the second hand of the clock.
He ran back home to tell his parents proudly how he solved the case, only to find a nonchalant long-haired boy standing in front of his burning house.
"Your father was stubborn," he said, shrugging. "Things would have been much easier for him if he was more cooperative." He then passed by him, as if nothing happened.
"Who are you?" he managed to choke out.
"Asakura Hao." The stranger turned to him, smiling. "I know that we'll meet again. Till then, train hard so you can wound me even a little."
And now, here he was, crying in front of the graves. "I will kill you, Asakura Hao. Even if that's the last thing I do, I'll kill you."
He gasped when he felt someone kneel beside him. He immediately took out his weapon around his arm and targeted the intruder, but to his surprise, it was a young girl, hair a glowing silver that contrasted with her big, scarlet eyes. She was dressed in a nun's clothes, and she was holding a bunch of flowers. She wasn't even fazed by his wild eyes. She continued to offer the white roses on the grave. She pressed her hands together and offered a silent prayer.
"Who are you?" he hissed.
She opened her eyes slowly. "I know that Asakura Hao was the one who did this."
He nodded slowly.
"He is blaspheming the sanctity of life," she said quietly. "The heavens shall punish him."
He couldn't speak. He lowered his arm. "I will kill him."
She turned to him and took something from her sleeve. She took out a beaded rosary bracelet and placed it around his wrist.
"Do not let wrath consume your soul, lest, evil shall take over you." She stood up. "If you want, you can drop by the church and visit the Lord. He can provide all the answers you seek right now."
"Y-You just said he was evil!" he said, confused. "Why are you disapproving my plan to kill him?"
"Because there is always another way," she explained. "The Gates of Babylon."
"The Gates of Babylon?" He stood up, hurrying after the nun. "Please tell me more!"
"Do not take revenge in your hands. Only God can give the right judgment as to what to do with each of us," she said calmly. "Don't worry. I will intercede for you. Leave all your hatred and offer them to the Lord, and he shall act."
"But the Gates of Babylon-"
She shook her head. "Do not even ask, because if you learn what it is, you will never be able to untangle yourself from the strings binding me."
He froze.
"If I tell you right now, you will be bound to join the X-Laws, and you will be involved in my crusades, and in turn, put your life in danger," she informed him. She bowed and walked away…
"Yet, even after what she said, I still went to the church the following day," mused Lyserg, standing up from the pew. Marco must have grown bored of watching him, so he was cleaning the tabernacle. He decided to sit down and wait for Jeanne for a couple more minutes.
Lyserg arrived just in time to see Jeanne playing the church bamboo organ for a group of kids he inferred were from the convent's orphanage. He decided to sit and watch them for awhile.
He watched as she smiled her gentle, encouraging smile at the children, then looked back at her music sheet. Her long graceful fingers, slender as the long white candles hanging on the crystal chandeliers, created wondrous, heavenly music, so soothing that it was lulling him to sleep.
"Sister Jeanne, look! A boy is sleeping in the church!" cried a child suddenly, surprising both him and Jeanne. She turned to him slowly, and recognition dawned on her face.
"It's you," she said, smiling. She was about to stand up when he shook his head.
"N-No, do not worry about me. Just continue playing," he said, sweatdropping.
She smiled and nodded. They resumed the choir practice, and he just sat there, enjoying the divine notes touching every part of him gently.
"So you came after all," she said when the practice finished at last.
He nodded. "I have decided that I want to know the Gates of Babylon."
Her eyes shook. "You do know that you have a prize to pay – you will have to serve me."
He shook his head. "Even if I am not obliged to do so, I would do that. You saved me, so in return, I will serve you all my life. I'm ready to do that."
She paused, then sighed. "How can you say that? Do you even know my name?"
He shook his head.
"Do you know who I am? What I do?"
"It doesn't matter." He clenched his fists. "I will be part of the X-Laws and I will serve you."
She laughed quietly. "Perhaps, that means I can't change your mind. Alright, you shall be part of the X-Laws now." She then placed her hands behind her back. "Oh yes, I forgot to ask your name."
"Lyserg. Lyserg Diethyl."
"Lyserg," she said, nodding. "I'll tell you about the Gates of Babylon when the right time comes."
"Right," he nodded.
"You must not talk that loosely to our Jeanne-sama," a man snapped. He looked up and saw a white-clad figure glaring at him.
"Marco, please do not worry. I am not offended." Jeanne got up and bowed.
"Jeanne-sama," said Marco disapprovingly. "You are the Sarcophagus Lord. Reverence is the only thing we can give you."
"I shall address her as 'Jeanne-sama' then," he said slowly.
"Which is only right," said Marco, standing up. "Let's go, Jeanne-sama. One of Hao's henchmen may be spying on us already." He looked at Lyserg as if deciding whether he was worth trusting, or he was one of the deep-penetration agents he was fearing Hao would send them...
"What are you doing, communing with a blank wall?" asked Marco, who was standing in front of him already. Lyserg realized that it had been nearly ten minutes since he started to sit down and wait for Jeanne to come out, but he was out of luck today. He simply had to leave without seeing her angelic face even for the last time in quite a long, long while.
He got up meekly and went to the holy water stand. He made a sign of the cross and noticed the beaded rosary bracelet around his wrist. He then remembered another incident again.
Marco had asked him to clean the roof and repaint it, so he had to march up to the roof and do the tedious job all by himself. He was just placing the finishing coat of paint when his bracelet snagged on a loose piece of iron tile. He tried to pull it away, but it won't come undone. Perhaps, because of the scorching heat of the sun, he suddenly pulled the bracelet away with all his might, and the beaded rosary broke its string, sending its beads rolling down the sliding roof.
"No! Jeanne-sama gave me this!" He instantly set off into action, reaching for the beads. He was able to use the slickness of the paint to hasten his speed, so he was able to catch the beads.
Except for the main crucifix itself.
He then noticed it lying perilously in the corner of the roof. He hesitated a little at first, but the desire to get back his memento was much stronger, so he gathered all his guts and crossed the dangerous sliding roof curve and tried to reach for it, but it fell down.
"Wait!!!" He dove down for his last ditch effort to get the crucifix back. In mid-air, he was able to get it back, seconds before he slammed down on the grassy ground.
He rubbed his aching back, wincing.
"Lyserg!"
He looked up and saw Jeanne rushing towards him, face worried. "Jeanne-sama!"
"W-What happened?" she asked, looking at him up and down for injuries.
He smiled and unclenched his fists. The glass crucifix was safe, along with the glass beads of the rosary bracelet.
"Lyserg…"she whispered.
With that, he fainted into her arms.
Only to wake up under the shade of a tree. His vision was partly covered by a handkerchief with a faint trace of a woman's perfume. He felt his mouth twitch. He loved the scent – it was relaxing, but not as relaxing as his position. He felt like he was lying on clouds.
"I'm glad you're awake," said Jeanne-sama's voice.
He blinked, then tried to get up, but a hand gently restrained his shoulders.
"Rest, Lyserg. That was quite a fall," she advised.
He then realized that he was lying on her lap. On her lap?! Marco will crucify him if he finds them as cozy-looking as this!
He then remembered his manners. "I'm so sorry, Jeanne-sama, for making you worry. My rosary bracelet came undone, and the beads and the crucifix dropped down to the roof so I had to chase them." He took off the hanky from his eyes with reluctance just to look at the nun in the eye. "I don't want to break it, because it was your gift to me and-"
"I can always give you another one," she said.
He shook his head. "No, I do not want you to bother." He then reminded himself wryly that what he was doing now was a bother to the nun. He forced himself to get up. "I-I'm fine now, Jeanne-sama."
"That's good." She then took out something from her pocket and handed it to him.
"M-My rosary?" He couldn't believe that it was not broken anymore!
"I threaded them together awhile ago," she explained. "If you risked your life just to save it, then it must be really important to you." She placed it around his wrist. "This time, I ensured that I made use of my strongest wire string so it wouldn't come off easily."
"Jeanne-sama…" He still couldn't get over the kindness of their leader. Right there and then, his vow to protect her with his life was renewed.
Lyserg pushed the church doors out and dragged his suitcase outside. Morphine flew out from underneath his coat then looked at him.
He nodded at her. "Let's go and find the Asakuras."
While sitting on the train, Lyserg looked out at the window, his hand cupping his chin as he watched the bustle of the crowd. He shrugged. People think they are going places, when in reality, they are not. They were moving from one place to another like ants, but what they were doing was not fruitful at all.
"What a shame," he mused. "The people who are doubting Thomases."
"Hey, anyone here who knows Lyserg Diethyl?" The conductor of the train suddenly shouted.
His brow rose quizzically. What did the conductor care about him?
"There is a passenger looking for him!" He turned to the hat-covered trenchcoat-donning person beside him.
Lyserg sensed that it wasn't just an ordinary passenger. If Hao wants to play his game, then I'll show him I can play along too. He raised his hand. "That's me."
"There you go." The conductor gave the person the suitcase, and the trenchcoat figure staggered with the weight of the suitcase.
The dowser watched the person struggle to reach him, at the same time, carrying the suitcase. Finally, guilt came into him and he stood up on the aisle to meet the passenger and help him out. However, the passenger tripped on his coat and he fell down. Lyserg quickly acted to catch the person, just as the stranger's hat fluttered down to the floor. He was stunned by how soft the body was beneath the heavy trenchcoat.
He blinked when he saw that the face buried on his chest was Jeanne-sama's.
"W-What are you doing here, Jeanne-sama?" He finally got to ask after a long session of apologies.
"I'm going with you," she replied.
"B-But it's dangerous, Jeanne-sama!" he protested. "Does Marco know about this?"
Her eyes twinkled, despite her even face. "No."
He sighed, deliberating what kind of homicide plans the over-protective X-Law would think of once he learns where Jeanne-sama was.
She turned to the window – he gave her the seat by it – and sighed deeply. "The vibes of Asakura Hao is changing…I cannot explain it. Believe it or not, it is weakening."
"Weakening?" echoed Lyserg in disbelief.
She nodded. "So I must go see him personally to check it out."
"It's dangerous!" he protested. "If you are going there, you should have asked the X-Laws to give you protection."
She looked down. "I'm sure they won't let me come along." In a softer voice, she added, "Besides, I trust you, Lyserg."
He felt his heart stop beating with what she said, and at the same time, he felt his throat go dry. His most revered Jeanne-sama trusts him?
She nodded and looked out at the window again, letting the wind play on her hair.
The dowser had to take a deep breath as he watched her. She looked so heartbreakingly beautiful, and even if his conscience was nagging him for admiring the holy Jeanne like so, he still couldn't stop himself from doing that. It was as if even the wind loved her, for it breathed on her so lovingly, or why else would she look like as if she was posing for a painting even if she wasn't doing so?
He didn't know how long he had been looking at her. He snapped out of his trance when he felt her head lie on his shoulder. She was already fast asleep.
Jeanne-sama… Lyserg felt his face break into a smile, and carefully, he shifted closer to her and placed his hand on her head, pulling her close to him.
He knew he was in heaven.
Tsuzuku
