Disclaimer: Don't own D. Gray-Man, never will.
Special Thanks To
The awesome beta-reader, All who reviewed, All who faved, All who subscribed, All who voted and All who reads
Sorry about the late update. My school life is getting pretty frantic here. I'll still try to update as often as possible, but knowing my long chapters and lack of time, it will probably slow down. Sorry about that, but I will definitely not abandon this story!
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Bidelia stood beside Neah and looked up. The house in front of her was not large and grand like her own home. It was small, but it had something her home lacked - warmth.
Her mother was sick again, her father wished to keep the house quiet for her mother's recovery. For that reason, the piano lesson scheduled for today was moved to Neah's house instead. Bidelia had been nervous since morning, but with Neah beside her, all her worries magically fly away.
After Neah finished paying the coachman, the carriage drove away and Neah walked up from behind Bidelia. "It's not impressive like your place but, it's sufficient for me. Hope you don't mind."
She shook her head. "It's very warm."
Neah smiled. Smiling, that's something he finds himself doing a lot around her. He led her through the front gate, up a few steps and arrived at the door. Bidelia stepped on the Welcome mat and admired its softness.
Neah pulled out a keys and opened the door. He walked in and held the door open for the girl behind him. As she entered, a sweet smell hit her nose.
"Welcome to my humble home." Neah said.
Bidelia slowly looked around and admired the house. The wooden furniture was small and simple, covered with pieces of red and white chequered table cloth. The small red cushions on the chairs around the dining table to the right were very cute. A set of wooden stairs led upstairs to the left and cream curtains hung at windows.
Neah placed the keys on a small shoe cupboard next to the door. "It is nothing like your family's grand estate. I apologise for my low standards of hospitality."
"Oh, no! Not at all!" Bidelia shook her head.
"I try to keep this place clean..." Neah scratched his head and smiled. Bidelia thought he just looked adorable for a moment there. "Though it's hard to do. I hope it's not too dusty since I've been quite busy these days..." The pianist swiped a finger across the top of the shoe cupboard, looked at the thick layer of accumulated dust on his finger and sighed. "I'll have to clean this up later...let's go." He walked away in defeat.
Bidelia watched him, amused. "Neah, do you live by yourself?"
"No," he replied as he headed towards a door at the bottom of the stairs. "I live with my brother."
"What kind of person is he?" Bidelia followed Neah.
The man hesitated at the door, a hand on the knob. After a while of thought, he turned around with a cheeky smile.
"The opposite kind as me."
Bidelia tilted her head to the side...the opposite kind as Neah?
The man laughed, as if amused by his own joke. He opened the door and headed in.
"What's his name?" She followed him through the door.
The walls and the floor were all white. White tiles on the floor, white paint on the walls. The ceiling here was much higher than outside. On one wall, a large window stretched from floor to ceiling, surrounded by a simple white frame. It was made of many panels of glass, all of them seemed be more like mirrors than windows. Bidelia looked at her reflection in the glass, the street outside could barely be seen. A white, long, three-seated couch was placed in front of the 'window'.
At the centre of the room, a white upright piano stood. The lid and the music stand were all opened, as if the piano was used so often that closing it would be meaningless - it will be reopened almost as soon. A cushioned stool and a wooden chair were placed in front of the piano.
It was odd, really. Bidelia felt as if this room was from a completely different place than the rest of the house. The colour, the furniture, the height of the roof almost suggests this room wasn't part of the house. The warmth from before, the warmth was gone. Instead, there was a slight sense of neglect, hatred even.
"Mana." Neah brought Bidelia out of her thoughts. The man now stood before the piano and gestured for Bidelia to sit on the stool.
The girl headed over and sat down. Neah lowered himself onto the chair beside her. "You know what to do." He nodded.
She smiled. Even though he taught her many things, there's only one song he is particular about. She breathed, lifted her hands to the foreign keys and started playing.
Neah reached inside his left coat pocket, found what he sought and grabbed hold of it. The small piece of Dark Matter vibrated in his palm. The Noah closed his eyes, reciting the lyrics of the song inside his head while telling of Ark of his wish. The material started to heat up. It will be done when Bidelia stops playing.
Neah smiled in amusement, he could tell, she's not even concentrating.
Most of her attention was spent on wondering about the strangeness of this room. Surely Neah must have felt this room needed to be different since it's to house the piano, but a room this big would have fitted a grand piano, why a small upright in such a huge room? Additionally, the roof of the other rooms were much lower, from the outside, it looks like there's a second floor too. She doesn't really understand architecture, but to have this room's roof so high, the room directly above must be really small. She frowned at herself, she must be over thinking it. The design of this house might just be strange.
As she landed on the last note, she turned to look at Neah, who sighed. "You aren't even concentrating."
Bidelia blushed in embarrassment. Of course, Neah could tell.
The man leaned forwards with a curious smile, suddenly appearing to be very childish. "What were you thinking about?"
The girl was taken back, "I was just wondering...this room seems really different from the rest of the house..." She said slowly, carefully wording her thoughts.
Neah leaned back, his smiled replaced by a disappointed pout. "Is that it? Well, this house had a really weird design, that's why the roof is so high here. I bought his house from an old couple and they lived here before. Most of the furniture was theirs and I haven't renovated the place. This room was already different when I came. I had wanted to put a white grand piano here but I really don't want to abandon my old upright piano, since I'm attached." He shrugged.
Bidelia nodded. She was over thinking after all. "Why is this room so cold?" She asked innocently.
He looked down and frowned to himself in pain. It's because this is the room...
He did not want her to get involved in this war, but now it's inevitable.
Because of him.
Because of him, the Millennium Earl is going to destroy the Vaughan family. They plan to erase everyone that had anything to do with him and Mana. Neah tightened his grip on the pendant in his pocket. There was no choice. He wanted to at least keep Bidelia safe. He had no choice but to do this. Creating a key for her...the amount of thought he's put into it to prevent anything from going wrong. He's scared, he's scared that even when he protected her now, sometime in the future she too will suffer because of his existence. However, by then, he won't be able to be with her, to help her. He was not going to survive what he was about to do next, he knew that. There must be someone to pass the role of the 'Musician' to.
If by passing that role onto her, she could survive for a little longer, he would do it.
He had dearly hoped that she would not be the one to act upon that role, but what happens after this is completely out of his control. He only knew that when the time comes, someone will have to become the 'Musician' and he hoped it won't be Bidelia. It will be someone she cared for enough to pass the key onto.
"Are you alright?" Bidelia stared at Neah with a worried expression, bringing Neah out of his thoughts. He sighed quietly. He didn't want to think about these things now. For now, he'll just throw away all the troubles and worries and just simply enjoy her presence. Just being with her...
Desdemona gnawed unhappily on a bar of chocolate as she leant against a pillar of the training arena. Kanda, Lavi, Allen, Chaoji and Bookman were all doing what they called the 'rehab training'. Lenalee got out of it, luckily for her, since her ultimate embarrassment as well as excuse was Komui. Desdemona, being one that lacked such a figure for an excuse, was dragged out of her comfortable room (yes, the Head Nurse finally released them) and forced to watch idiotic male specimens kill each other.
Who trains right after they've been discharged from the infirmary?
She scowled at air while glaring at everything.
Lavi was kindly teaching Chaoji things, which involved Chaoji chasing Lavi around trying to land one of his super punches. Kanda and Bookman were having a heated battle, featuring semi-destruction of the training arena.
Allen was nagging at her, trying to convince her to train with him.
"Dem! Train with me!" Allen tried with enthusiasm.
"No." She denied him swiftly.
"Don't eat more chocolate! It's not healthy!"
"Don't tell me what to do." she said as she ducked to dodge a piece of flying debris from Kanda's general direction. It crashed into the pillar behind her and shattered. The said male skidded into view from within a dust cloud, through which one can see traces of the black needles that was Bookman's Innocence.
"You'll get fat!" Allen continued as he too dodged Chaoji's fist as Lavi tried to hide behind Allen.
"Yeah, Dem. You'll get fat!" Lavi chimed. The girl pushed Lavi's head away by the face with a glare and the idiotic rabbit ran away.
"As if I care." She narrowed her eyes in disgust at Kanda on the other side, whose clothing was practically obliterated by Bookman.
Allen frowned. But his expression lightened up as he thought of an idea. He quickly took a swipe of the chocolate in her hand and made a run for it. Arriving at the centre of the training arena, he looked triumphantly back at her.
"If you want to get this back, come fight me!" Allen said.
The girl looked at him with a bored expression...and casually pulled out a pack of liquorice from her pocket. Allen's jaws dropped. No way...
"Ahaha, Dem. Nice one!" Lavi said as he casually ran past Allen, Chaoji followed closely behind.
"DON'T ENCOURAGE HER!" Allen screamed in Lavi ear, and the redhead, once again, ran away.
Allen popped the chocolate in his mouth and ate it, so that she had no chance of getting it back. "Please, Dem?"
"No."
Allen jumped back before her, sandwiching her between the pillar and him. "But why?" He stared innocently at her.
She shifted her eyes onto him with a glare. She's frustrated. Can't he please put a little more distance between them? Especially when he was wearing a sleeveless shirt, which made his thin but suitably muscular arms visible for all to see. Just, get away from her.
She glanced at his left upper arm, where black, tattoo-like patterns connected his Innocence to the rest of his body. She frowned.
Why was she the only one that was not aware of Allen's Innocence evolving again? He passed 100% compatibility, didn't he? The entire Order knew. How come she didn't? Where was she then?
Over 100%, does that make him a General?
...
Wait a minute, him? General? What a ridiculous thought!
Not like it mattered. It was strange watching him pull out his arm but once you're in this line of work for long enough, nothing of this sort surprises you more than a few minutes. It may amuse you, however, for a long while.
For example, Desdemona fantasised about things. Like provoking Allen, him activating his Innocence, steal his Innocence and run away, hide his Innocence somewhere he can't get to, watch him walk around left-armless for a day.
Then it will be the first time ever that she has stolen a body part. That's exciting. She has never stolen a body part before.
Allen frowned at the girl's weird expression as she stared at his arm. Her expression said she was planning something, something evil against him. He warned himself to be careful.
His eyes trailed down to her exposed right upper arm, where her large tattoo adorned her shoulder and upper arm. Since she was wearing her tank top, nearly the entire tattoo could be seen. He never said anything about it, but he was very curious. No one else mentioned anything either, so he wasn't sure whether to ask or not.
That aside, her arm's so thin...It's a wonder she can throw Akumas around when it looks like she has zero arm strength.
Out of impulse, he grabbed her wrist and got rid of the pack of liquorice. Still holding onto her wrist, he held out the other hand, palm facing her. "Let's see how much arm strength you have, punch me."
Gladly.
Without a second thought, Desdemona used her free hand to punch him. She landed a fist straight into his face and he fell back on the impact. Since he was holding her wrist tightly, he pulled on her to keep his balance.
Miscalculating her move, Desdemona lost her balance and crashed into Allen, who barely kept his balance from the punch. The impact made them both fall onto the ground, with Desdemona on top of Allen.
"Ow..." Allen moaned. His face hurts, his back hurts, his chest hurts. Everything hurts. But he laughed. For some strange reason, it was pretty funny. Yeah, she does have arm strength.
Desdemona tensed. The way his breaths tickled her ear, the sound of his heart beats, his smell, his laugh, his hand that continued to tightly wrap around her wrist. She can't take it, her chest's doing something weird. Why was her mind going blank? She wanted to move, her body won't listen.
"Dem, I meant punch my hand, not my face." Allen said as he continued to laugh, brushing his free hand through his hair and pushing back some strands in front of his eyes.
"Woah! Allen, I saw that! That was funny, Dem!" Lavi commented as he ran past with Chaoji.
Lavi woke Desdemona up from her trance. She glared up at the redhead but he didn't see it as he was too busy dodging Chaoji's punches. She then diverted her glare to the boy beneath her. "You just said to punch, and who laughs after they've been punched?" She scowled and tried to push herself up with her free hand on the concrete floor.
"But I held my hand out-" Allen stopped. Too close. Her face was too close. His heart…He looked up into her eyes. Her eyes…
They…they have either changed or he has gotten used to them. They don't seem so endless anymore. Though still deeper than most people, he could see now. Behind the many layers of coldness, superiority, pride, detachedness, there hides delicately a surprising existence of warmth. It was a caring, loving warmth, a warmth that contradicts all her artificial outer layers. It was almost as if she was scared that she would make use of that warmth that she seals it behind many masks. That was the something unknown he had noticed long ago, but never dared to venture far enough to find it.
Desdemona froze. Allen's eyes, his eyes were staring straight into hers. He no longer looks away in discomfort after a while, he just stared at her. She felt uncomfortable, vulnerable; it felt as if he could see right through her. Breaking through all her barriers she had so painstakingly set up…so easily, so carelessly.
His eyes were radiating, radiating with so much warmth and love that it was nauseating. She was scared. Scared of that warmth. Scared because it made her think, even if only for a millisecond, that she wouldn't mind him seeing into her, that she would let him, that she wouldn't mind exposing herself to him
She averted her eyes. She should never have these thoughts.
Never.
He silently sighed in relief when she looked away. His heart seems to recover. He continued to stare at the girl's face and wondered. More, he wanted to see more of it. He wouldn't mind immersing himself in that warmth he saw even if it meant exploring deeper, even if it meant exposing himself entirely to her…
There's also a strange feeling. He didn't know what, it seemed familiar, yet so foreign. It may be a good feeling, he didn't know... More. He wanted more of her. To see more, know more, understand her better.
"ALLEN! LET GO OF DEM WHAT ARE YOU DOING YOU BRAT? WHAT HAS CROSS TAUGHT YOU?" Lavi screamed from the other side.
Allen quickly released the girl's hand. "NO! SHUT UP LAVI! I'M NOT DOING ANYTHING TO HER!"
Desdemona quickly clambered up, anything to put more distance between her and him.
The boy also stood up, rubbing his cheek painfully. It's starting to swell.
Lavi decided to run past again. "Good Allen. Cross germs have not infected you." And ran away again. Chaoji trailed after him, muttering an apology as he squeezed between Allen and Desdemona.
"I AM NOT LIKE MY MASTER!" Allen angrily screamed at the redhead. "GO CHAOJI! PUNCH LAVI!" He encouraged.
Desdemona took the chance to silently escape. However, before she could go far, he called after her. "Dem! Where are you going?"
She cursed under her breath as she heard him follow. Just leave her alone.
"Dem! My cheek's swelling! Take me to the infirmary!"
"No! I'm not going back to that horrid place!"
"Dem~!"
"No."
"Dem~~~!" She turned to glare at him. Lifting her fist up, she threatened him, "You want me to punch the other side to even the pain out?" She asked with a raise of the eyebrow.
Allen shook his head frantically.
She turned and stomped forwards. Allen tried to keep up with her pace, feeling fortunate that she didn't take off her heels.
She headed up the many staircases, through many turns and shortcuts. She's probably going for her room, Allen presumed. But he wouldn't know because he's already lost. His sense of direction isn't that great.
Turning a corner, the girl suddenly stopped. At the pace they were going at, Allen wasn't able to stop in time, causing him to bump into her back.
She glared at him, he smiled apologetically while rubbing his swollen cheek. He froze when he saw the person in front of him.
A head of long, bright red hair; a white mask covering half of his face; the arrogant, annoying smirk; a cigar hanging from his lips; everything was so familiar and yet it reminded Allen of a heap of unpleasant memories.
Most of which, concerns the word "Debt".
Cross Marian slowly exhaled, the corners of his mouth instantly turned downwards at the sight of his apprentice. However, a smile replaced the scowl just as fast when he spotted the girl. He gracefully floated over and bent down slightly.
Jumping in between the man and the girl, Allen glared at his Master. "Master! There you are! You need to explain to me the score! The piano-"
Cross pushed Allen aside and flashed his infamous smile that had thousands of women fainting. "How are you, young lady? I have yet to introduce myself."
Allen panicked. He had seen the power of that smile himself. He has to protect her, so he tried to place himself in between his Master and the girl again...only to be brushed away again.
The flirtatious man took a hold of the girl's hand and attempted to lift it to his lips. Allen screamed inside his own head, he won't make it. He reached out a hand too, to grab Dem's hand and pull it back.
The girl smiled at the General politely. Using her wrist, she gently twisted the angle of her hand, transforming Cross's attempt into a handshake. She shook his hand. "I am well, thank you, General Cross."
Allen blinked. He sighed in relief.
Cross's cheek twitched. This brat is exactly the same as Klaud. "And you must be Klaud's apprentice."
"My name is Desdemona. It is a pleasure to meet you." She continued to smile. But Allen noticed it was sort of bland.
"The pleasure is mine." Cross smiled back too.
Allen stood to the side, waiting, as the two continued to hold hands and smile forcefully at each other. As the atmosphere became more tense, added to Allen's increasing discomfort, he grabbed onto their wrists and pulled their hands apart. "Master! Get your hands off her! What are you doing?" Allen pointed an accusing finger at Cross. He blinked at his own words...where did he hear that before?
Cross scowled. "Idiot, go away. I have important matters to discuss with the young lady."
"No! You need to answer my questions first! The piano! The score!"
Allen glared at Cross. Cross scowled at Allen.
...
...
Desdemona sighed. "If there's nothing you wish to talk to me about, I will take my leave." She turned around and started walking away.
"That necklace..."
Desdemona froze.
"Who gave it to you?"
The girl glanced back to Cross. "My mother."
"It's more complicated that you think."
Her eyes narrowed. Does Cross know? About the other half?
Cross studied the girl's face. He glanced at the necklace. "You have been given more than you know, and it is not a pleasant gift. If you should have any problems, come and find me."
The young girl turned and walked away.
Cross and Allen watched as she disappeared out of sight. Allen was about to chase after her, but Cross stopped him.
Allen frowned at Cross. "Master, what was all that about? What were you talking about?"
"Idiot, it's none of your business." The General took a puff from his cigar. "That aside, what did you do to your idiotic face?" He nodded to Allen's swollen cheek.
The boy held a hand to his swollen flesh. "It's none of your business!"
Cross scowled. Brat. "She punched you."
Allen drew back. "H-how did you know?"
The General rolled his eyes. "Idiot apprentice, you can never keep anything from me."
Allen looked down and sulked.
Cross studied the brat's face and suddenly draped a hand over his shoulder. "Hey brat, let me teach you something about women."
Allen glanced at Cross skeptically. Another one of his flirting lessons?
"Deep inside, a woman is always the opposite of what they seem. Weak women are often strong on the inside, and unpleasant women are often very caring." Cross said philosophically. "If you want to get a girl like her," Referring in the direction Dem just went. "you'll have to melt her stoic outer facade. However, that will take a lot of effort, so I don't recommend it if you are not fully committed." He waved his cigar around in exaggerated hand gestures.
Allen flushed. "I DON'T LIKE HER!"
Cross shrugged. "If you say so." He waved a hand dismissively and Allen glared, flustered.
Announced by the sound of boots hitting the floor, two men ran into the corridor from the other end with synchronized footsteps, wearing Central's uniform and large, opaque sunglasses. Both of them saluted to Cross.
"General Cross. You were expected at the meeting that started 30 minutes ago. Sir Rouvelier said if you don't get there right now, he will-"
"Alright, alright!" Cross interrupted with impatience. "I'll go!" He inhaled through his cigar and walked away in the direction the two men came from, escorted by the two men marching in synchronization.
Allen watched in dismay. But he still needs to ask about the piano...
Cross glanced back at Allen. "Just remember, you will only be able to win her if you give her your all!"
The white haired boy glared at Cross. "That's not important! Master, about the Ark! The Piano!"
Cross ignored him and disappeared around the corner.
Allen sighed to himself. He needs answers.
"If I am a puppet, then be it. I'll be a puppet who lives out the script and makes the script its life."
Yeah, that's right. It's alright. He'll just take it as it comes. Just as she said.
Wait, Dem!
He ran in the direction the girl went a few minutes ago. He must catch up to her! Or else he'll be stuck here! God knows where he is.
~x.X.x~
Desdemona stared at the ground as she chewed over Cross's words. Given more than she knows? What does that mean? Is there more to it than the other half? But, assuming Cross thought she didn't know about the other half, it would make sense. But what if there's more? How can she find out?
But even before that, how can she find out more about the other half? Admittedly, the best source of information would be from the Innocence itself. However, considering the fact that it hasn't been 'communicating' with her these days, the chance of her getting information out of it was quite slim.
What about Hevlaksa? No, she would tell Komui and that Rouvelier from Central that came a few days ago. She can't have them knowing about it yet. Who knows what the Order will do if they find out. They would obliterate her necklace and make it into a weapon. She can't let them destroy her pendant, it's the only thing left of Bidelia.
But...Bidelia...Why did she give the necklace to her? What has Bidelia got to do with this? Or maybe, the Innocence was always there. Since Bidelia wasn't compatible, she wouldn't have known. Desdemona clutched the pendant. Bidelia loved it, she loved the person who gave it to her. Desdemona loves it too, because she loves Bidelia. Right now, she really hoped Bidelia had nothing to do with this. It's just a coincidence. Just a coincidence.
Footsteps. There was someone running after her. Sounds like Allen.
She turned her head to the side, glancing at the reflection in the window pane, expecting to see the boy's white hair.
However, when she saw it, her heart stopped. It's that shadow. That shadow again. It's watching her, smiling at her.
Allen finally caught up to the girl. He playfully hit her shoulder.
She suddenly turned around, her eyes wide with some mixture of shock, worry and fear. Startled, he blinked and frowned at her. He watched her eyes search his face, she frowned almost painfully.
He stepped back. What was that look in her eyes? She's in pain? What's wrong with her? Is she hurt? Is she about to faint? What to do?
She diverted her eyes to the ground and turned to continue forwards. She's seeing things, isn't she? She glanced at the window pane again. It's still there. It's behind Allen, stalking him like a shadow.
Allen reached out a hand and grabbed the girl's hand. Turning her around, he frowned at her. But to his relief, she was glaring at him. No more pain in her eyes, just glaring. But that's ok, she always glares at him.
"What's wrong?" He asked.
"Nothing."
He smiled at her, that's good. He must be imagining things.
She glanced at the window pane again. It's still there. It's not going away. Is she the only one who can see it? No one else said anything about it. Can Allen see it? Not likely...
"Hey, Allen?" She said. "What's that?" She pointed out the window.
Allen followed her finger and looked out the window. But before he could see beyond that, he saw his reflection. It's there. That shadow is still there. He's somehow used to it. No one else can see it. He looked beyond the glass and saw what looked like a flock of birds flying above the trees. "Birds?" He offered.
She watched his face the entire time. It doesn't seem like he could see it either. Maybe she's the only one...
With a sudden burst of enthusiasm, Allen started pulling the girl by the hand and marched forwards. Desdemona trailed behind reluctantly, wondering where he was going.
It was after a while that she realized they were going in circles. They've been through this corridor before. She stopped, pulling him to a halt.
"Just where are you going?" She asked with an unhappy frown.
"I'm hungry! Let's go to the Dining Hall to eat lunch!" He replied happily.
"The Dining Hall isn't this way."
Allen blinked. He looked around and scratched his head innocently. "Um...where are we?"
The girl put her hand to her forehead in dismay. This guy...
Angrily, she stomped in the opposite direction, pulling him along by the hand towards the Dining Hall.
Desdemona glared at Allen, sitting on the opposite side, in disgust. He's devouring his food as usual, in a bestial manner that features extreme speed, a lack of hygiene and dignity and a large amount of food.
He held his fork like a dagger and stabbed it through the flesh of a freshly roasted octopus. He lifted it to his mouth and sank his teeth into its red flesh. Timcampy instantly flew over, also sinking its small, golden, mechanical teeth into the octopus that was about twice its size.
Desdemona shivered. What's wrong with them?
Lenalee giggled beside her. She glanced at the older girl in helplessness. Being the only civilized one around, she was calmly sipping at her orange juice. She smiled at Desdemona in a knowing way.
She popped a piece of her Gateau Chocolat in her mouth with her fork.
The redhead beside the monster was no better. He was attacking his bowl of ramen, slurping the long noodles with sickening loud sounds. The ends of the ramen flicked everywhere, raining everyone with ramen soup.
Desdemona couldn't stand it anymore. She threw the fork in her hand at Lavi's head. The metal contacted his head with a ting and rebounded off.
"Dem!" Lavi looked up, rubbing his head.
She glared.
At that moment, a shadow blocked the light from the central chandelier of the Dining Hall. She looked up.
A strange man stood at the end of their table. His blonde hair was cut into a straight fringe on his forehead. The rest of his long hair was put into a low plat at the back of his head. His strange eyebrows angled straight up and forked out into two. They sat above his narrow and very serious eyes. Two curious dots were placed between his seriously furrowed brows. His seriousness amplified by his downturned mouth. His black Central uniform was neat and wrinkleless. His hands were formally covered in white, spotless gloves.
"Nice to meet you, my name is Howard Link. I'll be supervising you. I baked some pumpkin pie, please help yourself." He said seriously to Allen.
Between his hands, he held a white paper box. In that paper box sat a pumpkin pie. Cinnamon sticks were arranged in crosses all along the circumference, with intricate raspberries sitting on each of the crosses. A lattice pattern formed by the golden-brown pastry covered the top of the pie. Mint leaves were randomly and yet so artistically sprinkled over this piece of art. Everything about it, everything, made is sparkle under the light of the crystal chandelier.
Allen acted immediately. "Oh! I'll gladly have some!" He said as his fork found its way into the pie. However, before he had the chance to pull the pie out, Lavi stopped him.
"Wait! Allen! He just said he'd be supervising you!" Lavi reminded.
Lenalee slammed her hands on the table and stood up. Desdemona jumped in her seat.
"Supervise? Why do you need to supervise Allen? Who decided this?" Lenalee frowned at Link.
"This was decided in the meeting this morning. Miss Lee." Link replied politely.
Lenalee inhaled. Desdemona pulled on the corner of her shirt, trying to make her sit and calm down.
"I'm going to find my brother!" Lenalee announced before turning and exiting the Dining Hall angrily.
"Wait! Lenalee!" Desdemona stood up. But Lenalee didn't listen. Unable to stop Lenalee from going, Desdemona sat down in defeat. He did say the meeting. Then it would have been decided amongst the Central Representative, the Generals and the Supervisor. The decision can't be altered easily.
"Excuse me Miss Beast. Do you mind if I sit down?" Link gestured to the bench.
Desdemona slid over on the wooden bench and Link sat down on the opposite side of Allen.
"As I have said, I'll be supervising you. This is regarding the 14th."
Allen placed his last plate on his piles. Jerry carried the empty plates away, commending his appetite. Miranda passed Desdemona the paper box of pumpkin pie. She took a piece and placed it on her empty plate that once held the Gateau Chocolat.
"The 14th?" The boy frowned.
Link explained, "The 14th was the Noah that was erased from the Noah clan. The Noah family we knew only had 13 members, but a 14th one was born. Hence the '14th'." The man scanned Allen's face for any hint of recognition, but there was none.
Suddenly, a piece of pumpkin pie on a plate appeared in front of his face. Link blinked. Following the hand, to the arm, to the shoulder, Link's eyes shifted to the girl sitting next to him.
"This, is very good." Desdemona stated.
"Thank you for your compliment." Link replied with a small bow of the head.
"You have a recipe for this?"
Link reached inside his pocket and pulled out a thick book, the size of an encyclopaedia. Lavi and Allen blinked. How did that ever fit into his pocket?
He passed the book to the girl with two hands.
Desdemona read the cover. "MASTERPIECE SWEETS ANTHOLOGY by Malcolm C. Rouvelier Central Agency Publishing"
"This is a first edition." Link continued. "Normally it would cost you $30 to purchase. However, as a token of appreciation for your compliment, please take this for free."
Desdemona thanked Link briefly before flipping through the book. Miranda took her pumpkin pie and sat down beside Desdemona, looking on.
Allen smiled. She's still a girl. Turning to Link, he resumed the previous topic. "What does the 14th have to do with you watching over me?"
Link nodded and reached behind him. "Very well. First of all..." He pulled out a pile of paper, not losing in size to those in the science department and in height to Allen's plates. Lavi and Allen craned their necks to unnatural angles to see the top of the pile. "I must go through a series of questions with you. I have prepared them in written form, so if you would be so kind as to fill these forms by tomorrow morning."
"What?" Lavi said in shock, worrying for Allen.
"Er...how many are there?" Allen asked quietly, not too sure if he want to know the answer. He took a wad of the questionnaire and glanced through it. Lavi looked over his shoulder.
"It's packed full...can you really do this in one night?" The redhead asked skeptically.
"It's rather noisy here, so shall we go to the Archive Room?" Link suggested.
"Huh? In the Archive room, until morning?" Allen repeated in despair. What is this?
Link took the upper half of the pile and dumped it into Allen's hands and carried the lower half himself. Leading the way, they headed out of the Dining Hall.
Walking past the girl, Allen leant down. "You going to make any of those?"
Desdemona looked up at him with a what-are-you-talking-about look. "Of course not! I'll make Jerry make it for me!"
Allen blinked and sighed. Of course...though for some reason he had hoped she would cook. Then he might be able to eat it.
But that was not going to happen. The chance of him seeing her cook is about 0.1%. The chance of her allowing him to eat what she has cooked is another 0.1%. In conclusion, the chance of his eating something she has cooked is 0.01%. In other words, impossible. Note the 0.01% chance is when she wants to poison him.
Lavi stood up too. "Then I'll just come with you and read a book!"
However, Link rejected Lavi swiftly. "I would prefer you not to."
Allen chased after Link, who was already at the door. "Hey! I will be able to eat dinner, right? I won't be stuck in there without food, right?"
Desdemona sighed as the two were finally out of sight. Good, peace. Very nice. She returned her gaze on the book. If she sent this book back to Margaret, she might be able to make it for her when she returns. Yep, yep. That's what she'll do.
Jerry came over with a cup of tea. "Where did that young man from central go? Where did he disappear to when I just brought him a cup of tea?"
"From Central?" Miranda asked.
"Yes." Jerry replied. "He's an official from the Administration in charge of the Order."
Lavi unhappily nodded, still unhappy about the fact that Link rejected him. "He's a watchdog they've sent to keep an eye on us."
Miranda tilted her head to the side and blinked. "He's a dog?"
Desdemona finished her pumpkin pie and stretched. She ate too much, she's bloated.
Just then, another man wearing sunglasses and black uniform appeared behind the girl. She sighed. Why are these people everywhere these days?
He saluted. "Miss Beast. General Klaud would like to speak with you."
Desdemona blinked. Master? She wanted to speak to her? The girl left the book with Miranda and followed after the man with sunglasses. They went through the route as Allen and Link had. It was not long before she spotted these two, carrying their paper, heading to the Archiving Room.
She rolled her eyes as she watched the idiot take a wrong turn. He's helpless. Link watched the exorcist and blinked. "The Archive Room is not that way!"
Allen turned cluelessly. "Oh, really?"
Desdemona facepalmed. Seriously?
Sunglasses in front of her suddenly stopped and stood to the side. "Please turn left and enter the second door to the right."
She followed the man's directions, only to see Allen charging into the room where she was supposed to go. It was only a few seconds before a series of chaotic sounds echoed through the corridor, followed by the distinguished voice of Allen screaming at Cross, then she watched as Allen was dragged out of the room by two more Sunglasses and given to Link.
Desdemona sighed as she arrived behind the sulking boy.
"Wait! I need to speak to Master!" Allen screamed in the faces of the two men that threw him out of the room. Their huge forms blocked the doorway, cutting the white haired boy off.
"Miss Beast, what brings you here?" Link asked the girl.
"My Master wishes to speak to me." She replied.
It was then that the idiot realised the girl's existence. "Dem! Why are you here?"
Growing quite impatient and annoyed by the commotion he had caused, Desdemona ignored him and pushed him to the side. "Let me in." She said to the Sunglasses.
Allen watched as the two guards obediently moved to the side, letting the girl in, only to shift back to their original positions after she entered. He doesn't understand, why only him?
The taller of the Sunglasses finally spoke. "You are now under supervision from the Order. As a person related to the 14th."
Desdemona half turned and listened. 14th again. Who is that? But before long, Allen was dragged away by Link, leaving the place peaceful and quiet and nice.
"I SAID TO BUY ME WHITE ROMANÉE-CONTI BOQUETS!"
The girl flinched at the loud noise. She turned.
Cross was sitting on a red couch like a king. General Klaud had her arms and legs crossed, in a fashion that clearly showed she was not amused. Lau was on a pillow next to its Master. There were many Sunglasses around, kneeling on the ground serving Cross wine and grapes, there were also Sunglasses standing behind the General, fanning him with large leaves.
"Ah! The girl's here!" Cross said as he noticed the girl standing at the door. He waved his hand and the Sunglasses all went to stand outside the door.
Lau spotted her and ran over, climbing onto her and sat on her shoulder.
"Hello, Lau." Desdemona smiled.
The monkey flashed its own smile at the girl.
Klaud stood up. Desdemona looked up to the General. "Master."
Without a warning, the older woman grabbed the girl's cheeks and pulled on them. "Idiot! Who told you you could go to China? Who told you you could go to Edo? Who told you you could go fight giant akumas? Who told you you could escape from the Infirmary?"
"Arggh! Marrrsterrr! I'mrrr shorrryyyy!" She attempted to slur out, considering she is unable to close her mouth at the moment. And being pulled on the cheeks really hurts.
"Not to mention you were injured before and then fainted with no sign of life! NO SIGN OF LIFE!" Klaud finally let go of the girl, who rubbed tearily at her swelling cheeks.
"Sorry, alright? I said sorry!" The girl pouted.
Klaud pressed her face close to the girl's and narrowed her eyes, "You brat. Still haven't changed I see. Not even a war can grind down that attitude of yours!"
"Ahem!" Cross coughed loudly and intentionally. "Would you please leave your teary reunions until later. For now, I have limited time to explain."
Klaud and Desdemona turned to the man, walking over with a serious expression. He bent down and flashed a smile. "Hello, so we meet again, young lady."
Desdemona blinked. It was just this morning, wasn't it?
Klaud's eyebrow twitched. "If you so much as to land a finger on my student...!"
Cross instantly stepped back and coughed into his hand. He put down his glass of wine. "I have asked you to come, about the necklace...There is something I'd like to confirm. May I please have a look?"
Desdemona looked to Klaud, the older woman nodded.
The girl sighed. She rarely ever takes it off. Bidelia said to always wear it... She reached behind her neck and unclasped the metal chain. Pulling it off her neck, she handed it to Cross.
The man scrutinised it closely. He turned it in his hand and frowned. Holding it to his palm, a shining white symbol appeared, surrounding the pendant at its centre. Cross closed his eyes.
The pendant gradually lifted and hovered above his palm. Desdemona frowned. Sorcery?
Suddenly, with a bright flash of light, the symbol in Cross's palm disappeared and the pendant fell back into his palm.
"So?" Klaud questioned.
Cross shook his head. "It's definitely sorcery. I knew there was something weird. There's strong protective spell placed on it."
Klaud turned to the girl. "Dem, who gave this to you?"
"My mother," she stopped. The Order doesn't know about anything before the Chapmans, and she doesn't intend for them to know. "Or at least that's what I think. Ever since I remember, I had this necklace."
"Is there anyone who might know your parents?" Klaud asked.
Desdemona shook her head. She's asked this many times. The Order continues to try to pry into her past.
"Who raised you before you became a pickpocket?"
"He's dead, to the best of my knowledge." Desdemona confessed. "I told you I used to work at a circus, but it burned to ground."
"Circus?" Cross suddenly said.
She nodded.
The man laughed at himself. It's a small world, isn't it? Is there no where else for Innocence wielders to gather other than the circus?
"I know I've asked this many times before. But are you sure you can't think of anything else?" Klaud persisted.
Desdemona shook her head.
"Well, that can't be helped." Cross sighed. "In any case, this is far more complicated than I expected. The fact that there is a protective spell in place means there's something worth protecting. This is no ordinary pendant. I can break this protective spell if I have time. Would you mind leaving this with me for a few days?"
The girl shook her head again, even though she was quite uneasy about it. She had never let the pendant be away from her before. Bidelia told her to never take it off. Bidelia said that...
Cross smiled, enclosed his hand over the pendant and slipped it into his pocket. Pulling out a cigarette, the General lit it and glanced at the girl. Her face clearly shows reluctance, but her actions are different. She values this pendant, but she said there's nothing special about it. There's something strange here.
"What exactly is this 'complicated' business you were talking about?" She asked Cross.
"We do suspect it to be related to either the Millennium Earl or..." Klaud started.
"There're only a few people left in this world that is able to perform Sorcery," Cross cut in. "And I can say they aren't nice people. If you do recall anything, please tell Klaud or myself. It will help." He inhaled through his cigarette and exhaled a puff of smoke. "And also, we will not report this to anyone until we get a solid grasp of what this is. Klaud, I'm sure you don't want your cute student there to be charged with any crime against the Vatican."
General Klaud narrowed her eyes. This can't be helped.
The girl was send out and Cross sat down on the couch again.
Klaud glanced at him. "I don't know what you're planning here, but it concerns my student so I'll cooperate. If you do her any harm, I will not let you off easily. Even so much as to lay a finger on her, I'll rip you to pieces, you pervert." The woman strode out, her pet monkey chased after her.
Cross shrugged. He's stuck in this room, stupid Sunglasses won't let him out. He closed his eyes.
He was supposed to find the key for Neah. The second key. That's what he told him. He thought Allen was the key, but then he found out Allen is Neah. He can't be the key, because when Neah wrote his will, the key already existed. So until now, he still hasn't found the 'Key'.
Cross reached into his pocket and clutched pendant. Protective spell huh? There's a chance. His long search might have come to an end.
The man exhaled and looked up to the ceiling. Maybe it's just imagination, but why does that girl look so much like another woman he used to know?
"Thank you so much for today, Neah." Bidelia smiled at the gentleman as they stood before the Vaughan family's great mansion. Neah had brought her home as planned.
"I am the one who needs to thank you." Neah replied courteously.
After bidding their farewells, Bidelia headed into her house while Neah climbed the carriage behind him. It soon brought him back to the small house. He paid the driver away and walked down the street.
Further down the street was a small family-owned fruit stall. An old couple sat behind the counter and smiled as Neah approached. "Ah! Mr. Walker! Are you finished with your beautiful girlfriend?" the old woman teased.
"Well, yes. And thank you for lending me your house so generously." Neah smiled.
"No problem, young lad!" the old man raised a thumb at Neah. "Your problem is our problem! Since you helped us so much before!"
Neah took out the keys and placed them on the counter. "Thank you again for today. I need to get going now."
The old couple waved Neah goodbye before stopping him and offering him an apple, to which he accepted gratefully. As he walked away, he played the hated tune inside his head.
Destroy the gate...
The old woman watched as the young man disappeared into the crowd before standing up and grabbing the keys off the counter. "Hey, hubby. I'll head home and use the bathroom. I'll grab your coat, since it's getting cool."
The old man nodded.
She walked down the street and arrived before the small and warm house. Habitually, she opened the door with her keys and immediately placed them on the shoe cupboard next to the door. She walked over to the bottom of the stairs and pushed open the door.
The all too familiar white tiled walls and floor, the white framed window with lace curtains hanging. The bathtub, the toilet, the hand basin.
Nothing beats the comfort of one's own bathroom at the most needy times.
I apologise again for the lateness. I'm lacking in time. Someone sell me time! Someone!
You know what? I think I'll need a Beta with time. That saves me with all the grammar editing and spell checks. I am looking for a reliable person that is efficient. I don't ask for much, just proof read for any grammar mistakes and spelling errors. Someone! Please help me! TAT TAT TAT
OTL
Anyhow, a Review will always get me motivated!
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