I didn't have any review on my last chapter, but whatever, I can't hold myself from posting this one anymore. So, to make this clear: it'll be weird. Like, a lot. I'll try to make some clarifictions at the end of the chapter. Oh, and it's flashback time too.
Answer: It's the name of a beautiful flower, which means strenght, power, victory in a battle/conquest.
Well, hope you enjoy!
I opened my eyes.
Wait, what?
"Damn, finally awake? About time, too"
"Who's there?"
I got up, and frowned a little. I couldn't… feel anything. I wasn't tired, or in pain, there was just… nothing. I gazed around, taken aback to see a whole fricking white forest.
"Behind you, moron"
Spinning around, I found myself facing a young man, around his twenties I'd say. Blond-brown hair that reached his shoulders with an bright, smiling, face and two beautiful wings that reminded me of my own.
Quite handsome, actually.
"Oh? You're flattering me, really"
"The hell? You can read my mind?" I took a step back.
Wait, he hadn't even opened his mouth. How was that possible?
"It's because we're in your mind, dummy" he rolled his eyes.
"That's… nice" I swallowed with difficulty. "So… who're you? If you don't mind me asking, that is"
"You're way more polite than usual. Maybe because you think you're dying?" he remarked, checking his nails. "But no worries, chill. My name's Gabriel"
"Okay… well, I'm Aryane-"
"I know" he waved his hand as if chasing a fly. "To be honest, I know everything there is to know about you"
"That's… kind of creepy" I sat down, crossing my legs. "Are you currently mind-raping me or…"
"Nothing of the sort, idiot" he snorted. "We've been roommates for a few years, actually. You just never knew"
Roommates for years? That was really creepy now. But, if I took the logic path, that meant he hadn't been here when I was born, because he would have said so. That would mean he arrived after I was born, and not too long ago. However, the only thing that actually changed within me a few years ago was…
"Ding, ding, ding! We got a winner!" he exclaimed with a big smile.
"Angel?" I choked. "You're my Innocence!?"
"Yep" he popped the 'P'. "Well, more or less"
"How is that even possible?"
He bit his lower lip at that, scratching the back of his head.
"That's… kind of complicated" he admitted. "But to make things short, I'm not an usual Innocence, and you're not an usual Host either"
"Cut the crap and get to the point, mind-rapping-guru" I grunted, crossing my arms.
He started laughing at that.
"Mind-rapping-guru?" he repeated, stars in his eyes. "That's a really good one, I gotta give you that"
But, at my unimpressed look, he turned back to serious. Well, as serious as he seemed able to be, that is.
"I'm not actually an Innocence, if we want the technical analogy crap" he precised. "I'm Gabriel, an Angel of the Lord, Messenger of God and cetera and cetera"
"… right. What are you doing here?"
He blinked in surprise.
"You're taking that quite well… should have seen it coming, seeing as it's you but- Anyway. My brothers, sisters and I, one at the time, are bounded to an Host chosen by our Father. This Host becomes a guide and an helper to the Exorcists, His soldiers. Seeing as He can't intervene directly and we, His sons and daughters, can't either, we have to help through an Host. However, such power can lead to some really bad things. The last one, possessed by my brother Michael, kind of turned evil. Well, not your evil, but ours. He's taking the Innocence of any Exorcist he deems 'unworthy' to gain power and, therefore, becoming strong enough to destroy the Millennium Earl himself. We haven't seen him in a while, but you might have heard of him under the name of Apocryphos"
I nodded slowly, taking in all the information, but the name wasn't familiar.
"So, when you say 'one at the time' it's because you don't want the Exorcists to become dependent of your strengths and rely too much on it, which would lead us to our own destruction, right?"
"Got that right"
"You're also not supposed to control your Host, because you can't act directly for our cause" I pursued. "However, your brother Michael disobeyed the spiritual-treaty-thingy and took over his Host's body and mind, before rampaging through our ranks to gain more power. It's for the ultimate good of all, but not the right way to do so"
"Exactly"
"So, following that train of thought and logic, you were sent here and I became your Host so that I would be able to defeat Apocryphos and reinstate balance or whatever?" I concluded.
"You're so bright, Ary-chan!" he cooed happily.
A vein popped on my forehead, and I felt anger rise in me.
"If that's the case, then why in the hell did you think it was a fucking good idea to go fucking berserk on me!?"
He gulped a little.
"I'm fucking dying right now! Actually, I could already be dead! And you, you just decided to dump me or whatever and rot on my bare back! You're an angel, for God's sake –no pun intended-, shouldn't you be able to control that!?"
But at my words, his face turned blank, which scared the crap out of me. My voice caught in my throat as he slowly made his way to me. He seemed very dangerous and threatening right now.
"If I went 'berserk' as you put, it's because of you, my stupid Host!" he poked my forehead with annoyance.
"M-me?" I rubbed the sore spot in annoyance.
"I am a Messenger of God, but together, we're the Protector and the Savior" he pursued with some sort of anger. "We protect civilians and Exorcists alike, because each life counts for us! However, ever since Barcelona –no, way before that-, you lost whatever little control you had over your emotions and started believing you couldn't save anyone! No matter what happened, you kept on spouting stupidities about not being able to save everyone, or anyone, and you kept giving up before it even began!"
My breath hitched slightly at that.
"You always put other's life before your own, but you never believed in yourself and kept rejecting your true nature! We never were in synch, which is why your weren't as strong as you could have been before, but when you started this nonsense, the little sort of balance we had managed to achieve just broke down and our bond started rejecting you just as you rejected it, which resulted with the rotting of your Innocence!" he concluded, rather harshly.
I looked down, ashamed.
"I couldn't… I still can't… save everyone!" I tried to protest, struggling a little. "I tried to protect, but it didn't work!
"Yes, you can!" he poked me again, harder this time. "And you can't just expect to protect them, you have to expect saving them too! One doesn't come without the other, so get that into your thick skull before you die from your own stupidity, and probably send your friends to their deaths!"
"I-"
"Think, Baka-Ary!" he poked for a third time. "Think, think, think! Or have you already given up on yourself too?"
"I didn't- I don't-"
But yes, I did.
He backed away a little.
"Think" he repeated, more softly. "About why you became an Exorcist in the first place"
At that, everything turned to black.
"Daddy!"
I ran to my father and he caught me, laughing as I hold on him tightly.
"Tadaima" he muttered.
"Okaeri" I grinned.
"I still don't understand this Japanese obsession" mumbled my mother, arriving behind me. "Welcome home, honey"
"Glad to be back" he smiled.
They kissed, and I wriggled out of my father's arms with my nose scrunched in disgust.
"Ew! Stop kissing!" I blocked my view with my hands.
At that, they both chuckled.
I screamed, slicing through the Akuma that once was my mother. Then, I dropped to the ground, panting harshly and fighting back the tears.
Crying wouldn't help anything. But...
I looked at my back, on which were now hanging two beautiful wings. Innocence, if I recalled my father's research correctly.
With this new power, I thought, getting back to my feet, I can still... save others, before they make the same mistake as my mother. I couldn't protect my family... but I'll protect other innocents as much as I can.
With that, my Innocence deactivated.
"I promise"
I gaze at the gigantic tower in wonder. It was… well, gigantic. Slowly making my way to what seemed to be the entrance, I almost yelled in fright when a voice boomed behind me.
Almost. I'm cooler than that.
"Who are you?"
I gulped a little, but reaffirmed my ground and straightened my back.
"I… I am an Innocence Host" I announced firmly. "I wish to become an Exorcist!"
There was a moment of silence.
"Please, step forward for check up"
A little worried despite my brave façade, I obeyed the voice, which I knew was coming from the Golem to my right and, suddenly, the entrance became alive.
"Holy shit…" I whispered.
"Evaluation complete!" yelled the rock face. "Innocence Host confirmed! Welcome to the Headquarters!"
The doors opened and, with one last look behind, I stepped inside.
I was greeted by a man with a scientist coat.
"Hello there" he smiled. "I'm Reever, the Head Scientist. I'll be taking you to the Supervisor, where you'll answer his questions, alright?"
"Sure"
After a few minutes of roaming the hallways, we entered an enormous room with the walls covered of bookshelves and the floor hidden underneath tons and tons of papers. I sweatdropped a little, but followed the man –what was his name again?- and we finally reached a desk.
There was another man wearing the same uniform, but he looked Asian.
"Take a seat" he smiled gently.
I let myself fall on the couch.
"So, we're going to ask some questions and…"
"Just shoot" I rolled my eyes.
"Err, right… well, what's your name?"
"Aryane Darkelston, but just call me Ary"
"Age?"
"Eleven"
"You came alone, meaning someone must have told you of the emplacement of the Headquarters. Which Exorcist found you?"
"None" I shook my head. "My father was a Finder and I simply used his notes to come here. He told me all about Exorcists, the Black Order, Akumas and everything related, so yes, I know what I'm doing"
"Finders are not allowed to keep contact with the family" he frowned. "Where is he?"
"Dead"
There was a moment of silence, and I sighed.
"Somehow, the information leaked out and reached my mother and I, which turned her into an Akuma not even a day later. My Innocence activated when it tried to kill me, I destroyed it, and I came here knowing just what was happening to me" I resumed with a bored tone.
"Right, right" he disposed of some papers. "Well, we're going to test your Innocence and, after that, we'll find you a room and explain more thoroughly the operation of the Order"
"Alright. What's your name, by the way?"
"I'm Komui Lee, the Head of the Department"
"Lead the way, then, Boss"
"This is Hevlaska. She's an Host too, if you want to know"
I stared at the glowing-snake-dragon-lady being before me with wide eyes.
"...Cool!"
"Let me see your Innocence"
Weird tentacles lifted me from the ground, earning an ungodly shriek.
"O-oi! The hell do you think you're doing!?"
"Don't panic" she said in a soothing voice. "I only want to see your Innocence"
Calming down and ignoring the discomfort caused by her tentacles invading my body, I stared at her, trying to find where her eyes were.
"12… 34… 47… 71… 85…"
"Err, Boss? What's she blabbering about?" I asked, kind of worried.
"Innocence of a parasitic type. Level of synch: 85%."
She placed me back next to Komui, and I rolled my shoulders a little to get rid of the weird and cold feeling creeping in my back.
"That's very good!" grinned Komui. "We-"
"The Second Light will rise higher than the First, and accomplish the will of the Father. The Protector and Savior of the Innocence is now before us"
There was a heavy silence.
"The hell is that supposed to mean?" I scratched the back of my head.
"Hevlaska sometimes has some sort of prophecies" Komui precised, writing on his notepad. "Don't worry yourself about it"
"…okay?"
"Thank you, Hevlaska. Ary, we'll be going now"
"…Right. Later, Hev!"
As we walked out, I snickered a little when her confused voice echoed behind us.
"Hev?"
"You know, there's another Exorcist around your age, here" said Komui. "My little sister, more precisely. One year younger, but I'm sure you two would get along"
"What's her name?" I asked curiously.
"Lenalee" he cooed.
Instantly, I backed away from him as he gushed about her. A big bro with a sister complex? Just great.
"Oh, and that will be your room" he announced.
The door looked like all the others, and I sighed a little. Knowing myself, I'd get the wrong one a few times before remembering which was mine. Entering, I found a room, not that big, but not that small either. There was a bed that seemed really comfortable, a little desk, a window, a wardrobe and a commode, and another door that led to a small bathroom with a shower.
"It's not much, but…"
"It's perfect" I assured with a smile. "Am I allowed to decorate a little or…"
"It's your room, do whatever you want with it" he shrugged. "Any questions?"
"Actually, yes. Is there somewhere to eat or do I have to scrub the walls to get some grub?"
He chuckled at that.
"There's a cafeteria. I have to get back to work now, but I'll ask Reever to get you there. You can accommodate yourself while waiting"
"Sure. Thanks for the help, Boss"
"No problem. Don't hesitate to ask if you have any question"
With that, he walked away and I closed the door. Then, I tossed my backpack on the bed and my suitcase in a corner, too lazy to put everything in place just yet.
Then, opening the window, I smiled when I realized that it was big enough for me to pass. Placing one leg after the other, I loomed over the emptiness under my feet. Then, grinning, I jumped.
What I didn't take into account, though, was for Reever to enter the room at the same moment. Seeing as he didn't know about my Innocence, he must have thought that I was just a suicidal teenager who decided to make the jump. Or, well, that's what his screech seemed to express.
Oops.
Activating my wings, I quickly flew back to the window, where the scientist seemed to have a heart attack.
"Are you okay?" I asked, getting back inside.
"You just jumped out of a window and you ask me if I'm- wait, how'd you come back?"
For only answer, I activated my Innocence once more. He pinched the bridge of his nose, apparently annoyed and relieved at the same time.
"Sorry" I smiled sheepishly. "Didn't think about what it would look like"
"Don't scare me like that again" he simply grunted. "And let's go to the cafeteria"
"At last!"
I darted out of the room under his bewildered gaze.
"You're hungry" he stated, lips twitching.
"I'm starving" I corrected. "Come on, get a move, Reese!"
"R-Reese? My name is Reever-"
"Same thing. Come on!"
"Hello, little dear! Are you new?" greeted the chef.
"Aryane here arrived this morning" answered Reever.
"Well, I'm Jeryy. What can I get you? I can do anything you ask, Aryane dear!" beamed the man.
"Just Ary will be fine" I shook my head. "And anything?"
"Sure!"
"Then I'll get the three bowls of chicken soup, a plate of onigiris, two medium-rare steak, a bunch of pork ribs with apple sauce, along with five potatoes, some carrots and four glass of orange juice"
There was a moment of silence and, for a second, I feared I might have asked for too much. However, the chef started crying in what seemed joy and delight.
"At last! Someone to appreciate my skills!"
He started cooking, and Reever chuckled.
"I forgot parasitic-types ate a lot" he simply said. "But I have to go back to work, now. Think you'll be okay?"
"Sure thing, Reese" I flashed him the peace sign.
He rolled his eyes at the nickname, then waved and walked away. At the same time, Jeryy placed all my food trays on the counter.
"Thanks, Gusto"
He seemed confused, but accepted the nickname nowadays, and I went to sit at an empty table. As I ate, a man with a blue coat came and loomed over me.
"Now they take kids?" he sneered. "What a joke"
"Are you an Exorcist?" I asked, eating calmly. "'Cause I am. I'm Aryane, just Ary"
I extended my hand and, after a moment, he shook it.
"… Summan Dark"
"To answer your statement from sooner, they didn't 'take me' as you put it, I joined by myself because I wanted too" I assured.
"What about your family? Didn't you want to stay with them?" he asked harshly.
"Can't exactly live with corpses, can you?" I retorted plainly.
He stiffened at that, and his eyes softened a little.
"… sorry"
"No worries. Say, Summan, do you have a family?"
"… I do"
"A daughter?"
His eyes widened, and I smiled a little.
"Thought so. I appreciate the very well hidden concern, but I'm not your daughter so please, refrain from acting as if it was the case"
"I wasn't-"
"Do you play chess, Old Man?" I asked, eying the game board under his arm.
"Yes, I- Old Man?! You stupid brat…"
"Can you teach me?"
He eyed me for a few seconds, before sighing heavily.
"Come on"
"Sweet!"
"Oh, you must be Aryane, the new Exorcist!" greeted yet another scientist.
"She wanted to learn how to play" said Summan, installing the game. "Mind teaching her the basics?"
"No problem! I'm Johnny, by the way"
"Ary, nice to meet you"
We passed the next hour and a half in the room, Johnny explaining me his moves while Summan tried to corner him, quite pathetically, if I can say so. In the end, the scientist won –no real surprise, though-.
"Ah, Old Man just got his ass kicked" I snickered.
"Shut up, brat!"
"Ah! Checkmate, save me!"
I hide behind Johnny, who blinked behind his big glasses.
"Checkmate?"
"That's your new name. Now let me use you as a human shield before the Old Man snaps-"
"COME HERE YOU DWARF!"
"I AIN'T SHORT YOU GRANDPA!"
As I walked back to my room, a weird noise came form another door. Curious, I slowly opened it, and realized it was a training room. Inside was a girl around my age, who I easily recognized as Lenalee Lee.
"Hello!" I greeted, entering.
Surprised by my sudden appearance, she hit a pillar while jumping. Wincing a little, I quickly went to her and helped her up.
"Sorry, I should have knock" I grinned sheepishly. "I'm Aryane, your new friend! You must be Lenalee, right?"
She seemed a little overwhelmed by my attitude, but nodded nowadays with a slight smile.
"It-It's nice to meet you" she stuttered out.
"Aw, you're so cute!" I cooed, hugging her tightly. "Ne, ne, was that your Innocence sooner?"
"Yeah, it's called Dark Boots" she nodded shyly. "What's yours? I-if you don't mind me asking!"
I grinned, and my wings appeared in my back, earning a sharp gasp from the girl.
"You have wings!" she said, stars in her eyes. "Can I touch them?"
"Sure"
As she petted the feathers, I thought for a moment, before smiling.
"Ne, Lenalee!"
"What it is, Aryane?"
"Just Ary" I corrected. "And from now on, you're Jumper. Don't go bumping into other pillars, though. Don't want to have to explain to your sister-complexed-older-brother how you ended as a corpse"
She giggled a little at that.
I had taken a few missions with other Finders and Lenalee, learning to use my Innocence on the battlefield. I had seen my share of deaths by now, but I didn't cry once. I had promised myself I wouldn't, no matter what happened, and that was not a promise I was ready to break so easily.
"Ary! Ary!"
"Hey, Jumper!" I grinned, greeting her with a hug. "How's life going?"
"Tiedoll Marshall is here with his students! Come on, I want you to meet everyone!"
Pulling me behind her, she lead us to Komui's office, before entering.
"Nii-san!" she called. "I brought Ary!"
"Good, good! Come here!"
Making our way through the tons of papers and books, barely avoiding one of the towers falling on us, we finally arrived to her brother's desk. On the couch were sitting two boys around our age and a man with headphones, while another with loads of hair sat directly next of the Boss.
"Right, boys" Komui adjusted his glasses. "This is Aryane, our newest Exorcists. Ary, these are Daisya Barry, Noise Marie and Kanda Yuu. Their Master here is Froi Tiedoll"
"Yo" I waved a little.
"Aw, she's so cute!"
I suddenly found myself suffocating in the older man's embrace.
"Gah! U-unhand me! Stranger danger! Stranger danger!" I struggled against the hold.
The one named Daisya snickered while Marie smiled and the Kanda dude scoffed. Instantly, I narrowed my eyes at him.
Something told me we wouldn't get along too well.
"How about you all go get something to eat while Tiedoll Marshall and I talk some more?" proposed Komui.
"Otherwise said: get lost" I coughed a little when Tiedoll finally let me go. "Come on, Jumper, I'm starving. Guess you guys can come too"
As we walked out, I noticed how the tight-ass from sooner seemed to stay away from everyone.
"Hey, Yuu!" I called.
"Don't call me that" he snapped.
"He prefers Kanda" supplied Lenalee, apparently frightened.
"Right" I nodded, before turning to the boy once more. "Hey, Jerkface!"
Everyone froze in spot as he slowly turned to me with a murderous aura surrounding him. Ignoring his bloodlust, I kept on walking.
"Yep, definitely works for you" I nodded. "Jerkface it is. Ne, ne, Jerkface! How did you get that stick so far up your ass?"
Daisya choked, Marie hide a smile, Lenalee paled so much I was afraid she might faint, and a vein was bulging on Kanda's forehead.
"You want to die, brat?" he spat, his hand clenching around the hilt of his katana.
"What, you don't know? That's crazy, because you should have felt it coming in" I smirked, clearly taunting him.
"Kanda, wait!"
"Mugen!"
He came at me and, my instincts kicking in, I activated my own Innocence –we called it Angel-, escaping his attack with ease.
"Aw, Jerkface, I thought we were becoming friends" I sighed dramatically from my spot in the air.
"I'm going to kill you!"
I avoided his slices once more, and I grinned.
"Gotta catch me first, Ba-Kanda!" I made the 'L' for looser on my forehead.
He snarled, and nearly chopped my arm off. Cackling madly, I flew away.
"Good hiding spot" smirked Daisya.
I smirked, hidden behind a pillar.
"Bet he won't find me in the next minute" I smirked back.
"If he do, you have to be my slave for a day" he replied.
"If he don't, you have to declare your ultimate love for him" I retorted.
"Deal"
We shook hands, grinning madly, and he pulled away, sighing heavily.
"In a way, I guess I don't really stand much of a chance, seeing as you're short enough to not be seen-"
"TAKE THAT BACK!"
"BRAT!" screeched Kanda, somewhere farther.
"Shit! I hate you, Daisy-chan"
"D-Daisy-chan!?"
"MUGEN!"
"DON'T KILL ME!"
"Hey, Marie" I greeted, sitting in front of the man.
"Hello, Aryane"
"Just Ary" I rolled my eyes. "Say, why do you always have your eyes closed?"
"Because I can't see with them" he smiled a little. "I'm blind"
"Really?" I frowned at that. "And you can still be an Exorcist?"
"I learned how to fight with my other senses" he nodded.
"Oh, that's why you're wearing headphones" I blinked in understanding.
"Exactly"
We stayed silent for a moment.
"Do you mind showing me your Innocence?"
"I don't mind" he smiled once again.
He got up, and extended his hands. Wires shot from rings on his fingers, and grabbed the training dummy not too far. Then, a strange melody echoed in the whole room.
"The sound waves can destroy the Akumas" simply said Mari, retreating his wires.
"That's so cool! It sounded like some sort of organ or something… reminded me of some Cherubs" I grinned.
"Really?"
"Yep! So, from now on, you'll be Cherub!"
He chuckled a little and ruffled my hair.
"Alright, Ary"
"WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU, BRAT!?"
"Oops, gotta go" I laughed nervously. "Jerkface is still trying to kill me"
"Then get going" he smiled for the third time.
"SHOW YOURSELF, AKAHATO!"
I stiffened a little, more surprised then angry.
"Did he just called me 'Akahato'?" I repeated.
"I think he did"
"YOU DWARFED PIGEON, COME DIE LIKE A MAN!"
"TAKE THAT BACK! AND I'M A FUCKING GIRL, YOU FUCKING PSYCHOPATIC HE-SHE SAMOURAI!"
"Hello" smiled kindly the man before me.
"This is Yeegar Marshall" presented Reever. "He came here to… well, to make you a proposition"
"Shoot" I nodded, sitting more comfortably.
"You are still new into the Exorcist life, and I proposed myself to become your mentor" announced Yeegar.
I tilted my head.
"Mentor? Like Tiedoll-sensei is Cherub, Daisy-chan and Jerkface's Master?"
He seemed surprised at the nicknames, but kept his gentle attitude.
"Exactly, young lady"
I snorted.
"Sir, I ain't a lady" I shook my head. "And I'm honored by your proposition -I really am!- but I can't accept. My place is here, at the Headquarters, with everyone"
He nodded in understanding, and placed a gentle hand on my head.
"I understand. However, if you ever want to, my offer still stands"
"Thank you, Yeegar-sensei"
As I walked down the shore, my eyes locked with explosions farther away. Making my way through the screaming crowd, I soon found a boy with white hair fighting off some Akumas. Another man, that I easily recognized as Cross Marshall, was sitting at a bar and completely ignoring him. Seeing red, I destroyed the three remaining Akumas, saving the boy in the process, before landing next to him.
His eyes widened in wonder.
"Are you an Exorcist too, miss?" he asked.
"Yeah" I nodded. "Are you okay? This damn Marshall, not even lifting a finger… hey, espèce de triple idiot coureur de jupons! Ça va pas, la tête? Laissez un gamin faire ton travail, espèce de lâche saoul!"
"N-no! It's okay!" the boy intervened, apparently frightened. "He's just-"
"Sitting by and watching you do his job" I completed angrily. "What's your name, Kiddo?"
"A-Allen Walker, miss!"
"First of all, don't call me that" I shook my head. "I'm what, two years older than you? And second of all, I'm Aryane, but just call me Ary"
"A-Alright, m- Ary" he nodded, seeming in some sort of daze.
"Now come on, we've got to beat some sense into this stupid womanizer"
"W-wait!"
"This is my grandfather" presented Lavi the morning after we met. "Ji-ji, this is Aryane, the-"
"Protector and Savior of the Innocence, right?" cut the old man before me.
"Right, that was Hev's prophecy" I remembered faintly. "No idea what's that supposed to mean, though. Nice to meet you, err…"
"Call me Bookman" he supplied, shaking my hand.
"No name?" I asked, surprised. "Okay, sure. Is Lavi a Bookman too?"
"In training, yes" he nodded.
"I'm already awesome, though" grinned the redhead.
"Sure you are" I drawled. "But I'm relieved"
"Why?" asked the boy, confused.
"Because to be a Bookman, you have to be a man first, Bookboy" I smirked.
"Hey!"
His grandfather smirked evilly at that.
"He still has a pirate costume in his backpack" he supplied, matter-of-factly.
"Ji-ji!"
I snickered at that and the grandfather simply shrugged.
"I am a man" he pumped his chest, his pride taking the blow rather harshly.
"Oh yeah?"
"Y-yeah! And I'm older than you!" he replied, as if that solved anything.
"Doesn't seem like it with replies like these" I taunted. "You're supposed to be what, sixteen? Yet you still act and talk like a fricking five years old"
"Yeah? Well… I'm taller!"
"TAKE THAT BACK!"
"HOLY CRAP!"
"COME BACK HERE, BOOKBOY! I'M GOING TO SKIN YOU!"
"NO WAY, YOU WON'T EVEN REACH MY ELBOWS!"
"THEN WHY ARE YOU RUNNING!? COME BACK HERE AND TAKE YOUR BEATING LIKE A MAN!"
"Tiedoll-sensei? Have you come to take Jerkface, Cherub and Daisy-chan for a mission?" I asked curiously.
"I did" he nodded, patting my head with a smile. "I had been wondering, Ary…"
"What is it?"
"Why do you have nicknames for everyone? I'm very curious" he grinned.
At that, I rubbed the back of my head, somewhat sheepish.
"I'm not really good with names" I grinned back. "Never get these right. So, instead of struggling to remember, I just rename them. Way easier"
He simply chuckled at that.
"Who are you?"
The man yelped in fright at my sudden appearance, letting a binder full of pictures fall on the ground. I eyed said pictures with some sort of surprise, amusement and disgust at the same time.
"You're stalking a girl way too young for you" I remarked.
"I'm- I'm not stalking her!"
"Sure you don't" I drawled, not exactly convinced. "Does Komui knows? No, of course not, or he'd skin you alive… What's your name, Stalker-chan?"
"Don't call me that! And if you really want to know, I am Bak Chang, the Head of the Asian Branch, and I-"
"See you later, Stalker-chan" I walked away, no more paying attention to him.
"Hello there! Can I help you with something?" kindly asked the man.
I stared at him blankly, before eying the piece of paper in my hands.
"Is this where a certain 'Mother' lives?" I asked, my voice hoarse. "I was sent here by Allen Walker, and-"
"You're a friend of Allen!" he cheered, taking me into a tight hug. "Come inside, come in! Mother! Friend of Allen!"
She came, apparently unsure about what to do, and sat in front of me. She wasn't exactly beautiful, but she wasn't ugly either. It looked more like she was tired than anything else.
"I'm Lenalee Lee. That's Allen Walker, and that's Aryane Darkelston" presented the girl. "What's your name?"
"M-M-Miranda L-Lotto" mumbled the woman.
Well.
That was going to be a looong talk.
Krory stayed silent for a moment, and I let him organize his thoughts.
"You are quite wise, for your age" he finally remarked, in slight awe.
I snorted in a very unladylike manner.
"I'm not, I just had a lot of experience and time to think about it. Seriously, everyone will probably tell you I'm the most reckless Exorcist they ever had" I assured.
"Thank you" he offered me a little smile.
"No problem, Buffy" I patted his shoulder and got up.
He lifted an eyebrow, a little confused.
"Buffy?"
"I like to give my friends nicknames" I shrugged. "You'll figure it out sooner or later. I'll head for the restaurant, now. You can explore a little, we have a few hours before reaching our stop. Oh, and call me Ary" I winked, than walked inside.
Again, my feathers turned to blades and I threw them at three other Akumas, who exploded too. Allen and Lenalee finished off the rest and I posed before the Finder who was protecting a crying kid.
I gently patted his head, and he looked up at me, wide eyed.
"Jan, right? Your father is one of the scientists of the Order, if I remember correctly" I remarked, recognizing the kid from a picture on one of the desks.
"Y-yeah" he nodded, looking in awe at my wings. "Are they real?"
"Of course" I chuckled. "It's my Innocence. Are the both of you alright?"
"We are fine, thanks to you and your friends, Lady Exorcist" nodded the Finder.
Allen, to occupied by his push-ups, didn't noticed before it was too late. The boy came back to us with the Golem, and I snickered a little when the white haired teen got up, confused.
"Tim?" he called. "Ary?"
"Over here!" called the little Leader.
He then showed a tied up Timcanpy, and I tried to wave despite being tied up too.
"Eh? What are you up too?" asked Allen.
"Archie the Whirlpool!" presented suddenly little Leader.
"Bob the Hurricane!" pursued Fringe-Boy.
"Cheetah the Stomach!" continued Big-Boy.
"Dan the calculator!" added Glasses-Boy.
"And Eagle-eyes Eric!" concluded proudly Hat-Boy.
"Together, we're the Abochidae Pirate Corps!" the yelled in unison.
I snorted at the ridiculous name, but said nothing.
We were now sitting with fuming bowls at the Finder's table.
"Itadakimasu!" I exclaimed, before digging in.
"I'm Devon, the Leader of this troupe" he presented himself as we ate.
He then smiled.
"You two must be the Exorcists with the appetite Jeryy was talking about" he said. "Such voracity recall me of my younger days. Eat more!"
"Thank you!"
"You should have told us" scolded Lavi.
"I thought…"
"You always think you'll be fine, Ary, and that's the problem!" he exclaimed, waving his hands in the air. "You can't always be fine! Your body and your Innocence got limits too and if you keep pushing them, you might very well die in the upcoming battles! It's not a joking matter!"
"I know that!" I exclaimed, annoyed. "And I know my limits just fine! There was just more poison than I thought, no big deal!"
"It's never a big deal with you!" he yelled back. "But get that into your thick skull once and for all: you're not alone! We're your friends and we're fighting with you and sometimes, you can't do everything by yourself so take your fucking advice, you god damn hypocrite, and learn to relies on us too!"
Heavy silence ensued as we held angrily each other's gaze, none of us backing down.
Then, I sighed again.
"Okay, okay, I get it" I grunted.
"Hey, Zoltar" I called. "You hanging in there? How are you feeling?"
"I… I wanted to fight with you…" she fought back the tears that threatened to fall again. "I wanted to become an Exorcist… and stay by your side…"
"I'm sorry" I looked down. "I was too late. If I had been more careful…"
"No" she shook her head, fists tightening. "You tried! It's not your fault!"
That made me chuckle a little, and I ruffled her hair.
"I know" I sighed. "To be honest… I'm kind of glad. The life of an Exorcist… I don't want this war to taint you anymore than it already did. You deserve a brighter life than one of an Host. I was glad to fight by your side for the time it lasted, though"
Without a warning, she latched onto me. At first surprised, I then hugged back.
"Don't die" she whispered, shaking. "Promise me you won't die"
I opened my mouth to answer the usual, like how I didn't lie and that dying was more than very probable but, seeing her so frail, so hopeful, I found myself believing my very first lie.
"I won't. I promise"
"Shit!"
I sat up in a sudden movement, breathing as if it was the first time. There was a frightened squeak to my right, and I realized it was Rohfa.
"R-Rohfa?" I blinked. "What- hey, what's going on?"
Rikei, Shifu and Won turned at my voice, wide eyed.
"Ary! How are you feeling?"
"No time! What's going on?"
I eyed the room in ruins with worry. There were explosions and screams on the other side of the wall.
"The Headquarters are under attack" finally said Shifu. "A Level Three. He came to get Allen and you. For and Allen are down, Head Bak is out there but…"
Clenching my fists, I slowly got up despite their protests. Making my way rather painfully to the balcony, I saw Bak hugging For's body against his as the most horrible Akuma I had ever seen stood before them. Allen was nowhere to be seen.
I gritted my teeth and anger spike inside of me. I had to protect them.
No.
I had to save them.
Ever since I joined the Black Order, it hadn't been about getting revenge for my family, or destroying Akumas because I could. It was about protecting those still alive, protecting the memories of my loved ones but also all my friends.
That's why I became an Exorcist.
And that's why I won't give up ever again.
Something warmed in my heart as my body suddenly felt numb.
That's right, Ary. Now you get it
"Gabriel?" I whispered.
"Ary, you have to go back inside-" tried Won.
"I am an Exorcist" I cut, turning to face them. "I am the Protector and Savior. I will not hide anymore behind stupid excuses, and I will protect our friends. I will save them"
After that, I smiled brightly at them.
"I promise"
There was a sudden flash of light that blinded me as something exploded in my chest.
So... yeah. So, to make things clear:
- Aryane's Innocence is Angel. However, when she activated it for the first time, she also became the Host of the Angel Gabriel. Gabriel and Angel are two way different entities, but their powers complies each other.
- Gabriel and all other Angels aren't allowed to intervene directly in the Millennium War. However, Michael -or Apocryphos, thos up to date with the serie/manga should know of him- has broken the rule for whatever reason and took control of his Host, breaking the balance. So, while there's usually only one Angel on the mortal place to help out the Exorcists, the higher-ups decided to send Gabriel with the prime mission of stopping Michael.
- Aryane became Gabriel's Host because they had, at first, the same goals: protecting and saving any and all they could. However, the attack on Barcelona was when Ary somewhat lost sight of that goal, if not a little before that, and therefore, Gabriel and her weren't in synch anymore. That's why her Innocence was rotting like that, therefore killing her.
But! Because of Gabriel's intervention, Aryane recalled why she became an Exorcist in the first place, remembered her true goal, and came back in synch with the Angel.
Yes, I am going somewhere with this. Gabriel is going to be a major part of this story, even more so that I'll go off canon after Hollow, and his presence is extremely thought about. All answers won't come right away, of course. There will be some more explanations later on. If you have any questions as of now, or don't understand something, just ask and I'll explain as much as I can.
Otherwise said, don't worry! It all makes sense, I promise!
Question: What was your favorite memory of Aryane's?
Can I have some reviews now? Please?