Chapter 15 The Man with the Butterflies
Komui called Kanda, Lavi, and myself to his office the next day. We, meaning I, treaded carefully around the office. I made sure to try not to step on any documents, but that proved to be impossible, as the floor was covered in papers. Komui was sitting at his desk, a cup of coffee in his hand.
"As you know," he said as we approached, "Allen and Lenalee were dispatched on a mission last night. Now it is your turn. Please sit." Komui gestured grandly to the purple loveseat in front of his desk and we sat down.
"It has become apparent that the Noah are now getting involved in the race for the Innocence."
"Noah? What are Noah?" I asked. It was Lavi who answered me.
"Only a few people know about the clan of Noah. They show up at key points in history, but you won't read about them in any history book. They're an unknow quantity on the side of the Earl."
"Thank you Lavi."
"No problem Komui."
"The introduction of the Noah means that the Earl is on the move, right Komui?" Kanda said. He had his arms folded over his chest, and managed to appear indifferent to the situation.
"Yes. The Order has recieved word of a gathering of the Noah, and we want you three to infiltrate it."
"You want us to infiltrate a Noah gathering? Komui that's crazy! We know nothing about them! Who knows how many will be there! Surely enough to overpower three exorcists!" Lavi cried.
"I realize that. But the gathering is more of a social event. A ball, to be exact. You will be at a masquerade."
"A ball! You expect me to go to a ball!" Kanda yelled.
"Don't worry Yu, I'll teach you how to dance," Lavi said, raising his eyebrows and smirking. That served to get Lavi a smack on the head.
"Alright you two! Enough! Johnny has costumes ready for you, and Val, he also has a new uniform for you. Now take these mission debriefing packets and be on your way. Good luck!"
We left a hyper Komui and went in search of Johnny. We soon found him wandering the hallways with a huge stack of papers in his hands.
"Johnny!" I called. He jumped in alarm, and the papers flew in all directions. I rushed to help him collect them.
"I'm so sorry," I apologized.
"Nah, it's okay. You guys are going on that mission?" he asked, making a messy stack of documents for Komui to sign.
"Yes."
"Okay. The costume room has your things. I labeled everything that you will need, so good luck!" he said, and then rushed off to catch Komui before the department head disappeared.
"Right. Let's go," Kanda said, leading the way. We walked down four flights of stairs, Lavi complaining the whole way, and entered the costume room.
My new uniform was hanging on the wall. It was now a floor length skirt and black shirt, with a cropped exorcist jacket. There was a wide belt like the one on Kanda's uniform. I took the clothes and stood behind a partition, where I quickly changed.
When I stepped out I saw Kanda holding his outfit for the ball, disgust contorted onto his face. It was a black suit. The jacket had coattails and there was a simple black eye mask hanging from the hanger.
"Really? A suit!" he muttered angrily, before stuffing it uncerimoniously into a suitcase.
Lavi was holding his own suit up and was eying it warily. The entire thing was gold. There was even a jewel encrusted eyepatch to match.
"There's no headband! Is my hair going to be left down then?" he asked no one in particular. I smiled and scanned the room for my own outfit.
I gasped in shock when my eyes finally found the ball gown I was to wear. The dress was light blue in color. From the way it hung on the hangar I could see that it would be an off the shoulder dress. The sleeves would come down just below my elbows, and there were cuffs of lace at the end of the sleeves. The bodice was like a corset, with ribbing and everything. The skirt poufed out grandly. It was gathered strategically with little flower brooches that had two strings of jewels hanging down from each. Underneath the skirt white tulle was visible at the hem.
"Oh my! It's beautiful!" I exclaimed. I was so excited at the prospect of wearing such an elegant gown that I could not stop smiling. Lavi picked up the mask that was hanging with the dress.
"Indeed. I like this. You'll look beautiful," he said. I blushed and grabbed the mask, which was black with blue stones.
"Only you won't be able to carry your bow," Kanda said from the other side of the room.
"What?"
"Komui has it written in the debriefing packet. Lavi and I are to carry our own Innocence, as it will be seen as part of the costume. You, however, can not. The dress won't allow it."
"You know what else the debriefing packet says?" Lavi asked, a devious smile on his face. "It says that you and Val will be going to the ball as an engaged couple. I'm your chaperone!"
"What!" Kanda ducked his head, hiding the red color that was creeping onto his cheeks.
"Really? Um. Okay."
"This is ridiculous!" Kanda said.
"You know you like it," Lavi whispered in his ear.
"Baka!" Kanda smacked him on the head, sending the red head face first on the ground.
"Please stop fighting you two! How can we complete this mission if you are going to be bickering the whole time?" I asked, as I tucked my gown carefully into a garment bag.
"Sorry Val. I'll be nice to Yuu from here on out!" Lavi said, a huge grin on his face. We could both see Kanda trying to contain his anger at being called by his given name.
"Che. Lets just go," he said angrily. He grabbed his suitcase and quickly left the room.
I sighed and grabbed my Innocence, carefully securing the bow around my back and the daggar in its holster on my belt. Lavi was already following after Kanda. I took hold of my gown and suitcase and ran to catch up.
"Miss Jessica?" said the maid at the hotel. I turned around at the use of my cover name. We all had had to choose a new alias to use for the duration of the mission.
The maid had opened my door and was holding my dress. "This just got finished with being pressed. Are you ready to change?"
"Yes. Thank you."
I felt uneasy about having someone help me change, but the dress was difficult to get into without help. And I was supposed to be ploaying the part of a high society heiress, and thus, I was supposed to get help changing anyway. My breath was knocked out of me as the girl began to tighten the bodice of the dress.
"Oh my gosh! I can't breathe!" I gasped as she pulled the strings on the corset tighter.
"I'm sorry, Miss."
The door burst open and I jumped in fright, knocking the poor woman backward. Kanda stood in the doorway, color creeping onto his face.
"Oh...um...You're changing," he said, spinning abruptly around. "I'll come back then." The door swung shut with a loud thump behind him.
"Oh dear! Does your fiancee always barge into rooms like that?"
"My fiancee?" I asked, confused. Then I remembered about the mission. "Oh. I mean, yes. Always. Its a bad habit of his, but we're working on it...Ow!"
She pulled one last time on the corset and then I was done. My hair was in an elegant coif, each curl turned into a sleek ringlet. I was wearing makeup for the first time in my life, and thought that I looked much older with it.
"Shall I get Sir Gabriel for you?"
"Um, yes, please. And Sir Wesley, if you don't mind."
The maid exited the room with a bow. I laughed to myself at the treatment. It was strange to be treated like I was royalty. I pulled on my stockings and slipped my feet into the black heels that I was to wear. I paced in the room, trying to get used to the feeling of walking in heels. I tripped numerous times.
A knock on the door startled me, and I fell.
"Miss Jessica, are you decent? I wouldn't want to walk in on you like Sir Gabriel did, naughty boy."
"Wesley!" I said embarrasedly. Lavi and Kanda strode into the room.
"I hate using these aliases. I always forget to answer when someone says my name," I said.
"Yeah," Lavi said. "Do I look like a Wesley to you?"
"You look like a Lavi."
"You look like an idiot," came Kanda's reply after me.
"Kanda!"
"It's true. I look like an idiot too. You're the only one who looks decent."
My cheeks flamed at the compliment and I ducked my head. "Oh. Um, thank you. And I think you both look wonderful!"
The gold suit that Lavi wore was the perfect compliment to his read hair. The eyepatch worked well with it. His hair was left down, but it still managed to look good the messy way it hung across his face.
And Kanda. Well, he looked incredibly handsome. His hair had been left down too, something that I knew he was probably not happy about. The suit was fitted and showed off his broad shoulders and narrow hips. The mask across his eyes served to make him look kind of dangerous, which he was. He looked amazing, even with Mugen attached to his belt.
"Come on," he said, ignoring the compliment. "Put on your mask and lets go."
"Wow! This ballroom is fantastic!" I exclaimed. Crystal chanderliers hung from the cieling and the floor gleamed. Couples twirled about, masked as various characters.
"I'm glad you like it," came a voice from behind us. We turned around to see a man with a deep tan standing behind us. He was wearing a tailored black suit and a top hat. His black curly hair was slicked back underneath it and white gloves graced his hands. He was incredibly handsome. I barely registered that he was not wearing a mask.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Lord Tyki Mikk, one of the hosts of this grand ball. Welcome."
"Thank you," Lavi said. "I am Sir Wesley, Duke of Kent. This gentleman here is Sir Gabriel, the Archduke."
"And who might this lovely lady be," Tyki Mikk asked, taking my hand and kissing it. I blushed and giggled. Kanda looked livid.
"This is Lady Jessica, my fiancee," he said through clenched teeth, a protective tone in his voice.
Mikk looked completely at ease, despite Kanda's murderous aura. "Well, I hope you will allow me one dance with the Lady?"
"Why you-"
"Of course you may dance with Lady Jessica!" Lavi interrupted. "She loves the waltz and tango," he added.
"Why, I much prefer the tango to a waltz," Tyki said. "I will order the band to strike one up right now. Don't run away while I'm gone." He kissed my hand once more before heading to the string quartet playing on a raised platform.
"Val, what the hell are you doing?" Kanda hissed.
"What? I'm playing the part!"
"You aren't supposed to play the part with other men, just me. Act like we are getting married."
"Guys." Lavi said.
"Kanda, lots of engaged women dance with other men. I can't just decline an offer. Its called courtesy."
"Um, guys." Lavi was glancing behind us now.
"You have no clue who this man is! Hes just one of the hosts of the ball. We don't know if we can even trust him. You're going to get yourself killed."
"Guys!"
"What!" we yelled together. We turned to look at Lavi, and saw Tyki Mikk standing there, a look of mingled shock and amusement on his face.
"Oh dear," I said.
"I'm sorry if I was the cause of the disagreement between you two. I will withdraw my offer of a dance if it makes the young Archduke feel any better," he said.
"No, I would love to dance with you," I said. Kanda was being unreasonable and I wanted to prove him wrong. I allowed Tyki to lead me onto the dance floor, leaving Kanda behind looking like he was going to explode. I felt momentarily bad for Lavi.
"I'm sorry to have angered your fiancee," Mikk said to me as we started to dance. I glanced over at Kanda, who looked rather frustrated.
"He'll get over it," I said. Mikk smiled.
"His name is Gabriel, correct?"
"Yes."
"It means 'Man of God', did you know?"
"No, I did not. That's interesting."
"Indeed. So is your Gabriel a 'Man of God'?" Tyki asked as we twirled around the dance floor.
"Oh! Um. Well, yes. In a sense he is," I said.
"Hmm. I see. Would you mind to accompany me through the garden. It's gorgeous in the moonlight."
Tyki led me through the crowd of couples dancing and out of the mansion.
"Kanda! I just realized something!"
"What Lavi?" Kanda hissed through clenched teeth. "Why aren't you using my fake name? Don't screw this mission up!"
"Forget that! This is important!"
Kanda took Lavi's arm and dragged him off to the side, away from people. "What is it?"
"Val."
"Yeah?"
"She's with a Noah!"
"Are you sure!"
"Yes. Komui said that we were going to a ball hosted by some Noah. Well, didn't Mikk say that he was a host when he introduced himself?"
"Shit."
The two exorcists hurried off in search of their missing partner.
"Isn't it lovely?" Mikk asked me as he led me around the garden.
"Oh, yes. It's splendid." I glanced back behind me anxiously. We were now some distance from the house. It was no longer visible through all of the foliage and trees of the garden.
"Is something wrong?"
"Oh no, nothing. I'm just distracted."
"You should take off the mask. That will give you a better view of the flowers." Without waiting for my reply, Mikk reached over and plucked the mask from my eyes. He stared at me, a curious expression on his face.
"You look oddly familiar," he said.
"Oh? I don't believe we've ever met," I said, now on my guard. I didn't like this. Mikk started walking again, fiddling with the mask in his hands. He seemed to be contemplating something.
"Oh!" he exclaimed suddenly. I looked at him curiously. He smiled hugely, golden eyes glinting, and twirled my mask on his fingers.
"I know who you are," he stated.
"Really? And how is that?" I tried to be nonchalant, but my heart was pounding. It occured to me that this man was very dangerous.
"You're the little girl from Taininka, Russia. I had the pleasure of meeting your parents once," he told me with a sinister smile.
Then I too finally recognized those golden eyes.
*FLASHBACK! Oooo...*
"Valeriya! Come here," she called. I stopped playing with my dolls and ran over to my mom. She wrapped her arms around me and lifted my small body up. I curled my arms around her neck and she ran with me.
"Alena! It's that man! He's here. Hide Val!" my father called to mom. She was crying, tears dripping from her face and into my hair. I started to cry too.
"Mommy! What's going on?" I asked.
"Shh Val. I need you to be quiet. Stay in here and don't come out until he's gone," she said, opening the closet in the living room. She set me down and closed it behind her. I sat down amid the shoes and coats. Through a hole in the wood I watched.
Mom stood clutching Dad's arm. He was holding her awkwardly. Then he came in. He was a dark shadow, a form that I could not make out. He raised a hand and spoke in a hoarse whisper.
"You've seen too much," he said. "I'm so sorry." His words were insincere and he smiled a smile that reached his ears. I started crying softly. Then he moved so quickly I couldn't see how it happened, but suddenly my parents crumpled to the ground, dead. A single cry escaped my throat. The man turned and smiled hugely again. His golden eyes were on the closet and he started walking forward.
The closet door opened and I could see the man. He was tall and had dark skin, with crosses on his forehead.
"Well what's this?" he said. I cringed and pushed myself backward. He opened his hand, and I saw a butterfly materialize there. Then it disappeared just as swiftly.
"I'll spare you, for now," he said. Then he was gone, disappearing through the wall.
*END FLASHBACK!*
That was the first time in my life I could remember the rest of that night. I started in shock.
"You were the one who killed my parents," I whispered.
"Yes. They saw me do some...ah, questionable things, and I was ordered to dispose of them. Really, they just knew too much. They could have easily gotten word to the Order, and well, that wouldn't have been good."
"I'll kill you," I said. I had never before threatened another human being. It was difficult to say, but rage was boiling up inside of me.
"Really? And how do you propose to do that?" Mikk said. He bent his head down, hand over his face, and when he looked back up, his tan had turned to gray, and there were crosses on his forehead. What terrified me was the smile. It was huge, literally running ear to ear. And it wasn't a friendly smile either.
"Who are you?" I asked.
"I am Lord Tyki Mikk, the Noah of Pleasure. I fight on the side of the Millenium Earl."
"You're a Noah?"
"Yes. Pleased to meet you. Now let's move on. I have a ball to host."
I turned to run, but he appeared in front of me. I stumbled back, and fell to the floor. Mikk laughed.
"You can't outrun me. I can pass through anything I want." Tyki leaned forward and with one quick movement, his hand was inside my chest. I gasped in pain and shock.
"I could pull out your heart, right now, and leave no wound on the outside."
I was gasping in terror, seeing that the end, my end, was near. Mikk must have sensed it.
"Of course, you need to die. Exorcists don't deserve to live. But don't worry. You won't even feel it. I'll make it easy on you. Why don't I just pull out your heart, instead of having my Tease eat you from the inside out?" He now had one of the butterflies in his hand. I realized that this was what he called a Tease.
"And maybe when I'm done with you, I can go after that 'fiancee' of yours. He'd make a pretty trophy."
"No! Don't go near him!"
Mikk smiled. "Ah. You don't want me to kill him? Why?"
"..."
"Do you love him?"
I hung my head, because what he said was true. I had fallen in love with Kanda. And it was the most painful thing in the world to know that I would never get to see him again.
"You do! Ah! Thats beautiful. But he doesn't love you back, does he?"
Tears began to pour down my face. It was incredibly hard to breathe.
"Am I pouring salt into an open wound? Well then, I'll make this quick. I do have to dance with many more beautiful ladies."
"Stay away from her!" yelled someone from behind. Tyki turned around, and moved to block the deadly swing from Kanda's ready katana. A purple shield sprung from his hand, but not before he bacame solid as he passed through my arm. The bone snapped.
"Ahh!" I screamed in pain, holding my arm.
"Well, well. The fiancee has come to the rescue. Of course, you two aren't really getting married. Truth is, you probably hate her guts."
Kanda swung his katana, anger etched onto his face.
"She'd tear her heart out for you," Mikk yelled. "I can tear it out literally, if you'd like. Serve it to you on a silver platter."
"You bastard!"
Kanda slivced his katana through the air, effectively breaking the shield. Mikk stared in shock.
"You've won this round exorcists! Get out, before I change my mind about retreating."
Mikk disappeared.
"Val! Val are you okay?" Kanda's face over mine was the lst thing I saw before blacking out.
Right, so the fight scene wasn't that good, because I'm bad at writing fights. But this is one of my favorite chapters. I've had this idea since I started writing this story, and I was so happy to finally get it done. So please tell me what you think. I love reading your reviews.
Just as an afterthought, from the previous chapter a few people commented on the timeline. Dont worry, I know that Kanda and Allen were supposed to go on that mission together. I just altered the plot a bit to fit my story.