...I'm sorry but I'm pushing the reunion to the next chapter. -_- I know I promised I would put it in this chapter but it got too long and would have gotten longer if I had added the reunion.
I also found out that Hyuuga is alive in Kapitel 96. The flower seeds we saw Labrador give Hyuuga in Kapitel 89 transformed Hyuuga's darkness into life energy, thus saving him. (WHY, LAB, WHY?! YOU AREN'T SUPPOSED TO SAVE THE BAD GUYS! D:) However, it doesn't change the fact that he is dead in my story and he is going to STAY dead.
Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN 07-GHOST IN ANY SUCH MANNER OR WAY
PLEASE REVIEW APPROPRIATELY AND RESPECTFULLY! NO CURSING IN YOUR REVIEWS! D:
"..." - Speaking
Italics - Thoughts and dreams
Bold italics - Mikhail/Raphael talking in Teito/Ouka's minds
Bold - Mikhail/Raphael talking when they take over their masters' bodies and dreams
Summary: Pandora's box is breaking apart, Mikhail is damaged and Verloren's soul is coming closer as each second passes by. Fearing for their Masters' future, Raphael, with the help of Mikhail, help send Kal (Ea), Teito, Ouka, Wolfram and Millea back two months around the time when Teito Klein first deserted the military. How will Teito cope with reliving the past again? Will he help change things for the better or for the worse?
*A few hour later, Teito's dream*
Snow... How many times have I seen this snow in my dreams? It was always so beautiful. The gentle snow... so beautiful...and yet so cruel.
In exchange please give me that child
A cruel and lonely place...
It hurts...where am I?
King Raggs...Father...
Father...I'm here...why can't I move?
"...Queen...if the prince is causing you that much pain... It's all the more reason why he should die..."
In exchange please give that child to me
"Now, now, what's wrong?"
I can't find it, the flower to give to father. Mother is sick so father alwaaays has a sad face.
"IF YOU HAVEN'T BEEN BORN I WOULD STILL BE LOVED...!"
Scary. Father save me...I'm scared...
"I HATE YOU!"
Hot...my back hurts...Burning...
"AA-AA-AAAAH! I-I- WHAT HAVE I-"
"It is possible to escape from this felony... the queen's life can be saved."
What is this... its red...?
"In return give that child to me."
*Gasp*
Teito woke up, clutching his rapidly beating heart. Just a dream, it was just a dream... Teito thought trying to steady his breathing.
"Are you alright master?" Mikhail asked worried. "I tried to wake you up earlier but you locked me out of your dream scape. I managed to break into it, though."
Thank you, Mikhail, Teito said gratefully before he looked around to find himself back in the guest room. Mikage was sleeping near to his pillow and the Bascule Teito was using the previous day He frowned. When did I fall asleep, Mikhail? Teito asked confused. Wasn't I going to train with Frau and Castor-san?
"Oh, you did, a few hours earlier. However, when you finished, they just erased your memory of the event," Mikhail replied.
"WHAT?!" Teito asked, angrily.
"Fest's exact words were 'He already has enough on his mind without having to worry about a god controlling his body and mind, (1)'" Mikhail said. "Apparently my plan worked. However, he's now going to keep a closer eye on us, so now we can't sneak away unnoticed during Bastian-sama's funeral."
What are we going to do now, then? Teito asked.
"Isn't it obvious? We destroy Fest's puppets and run as fast as we can out of the church before anyone can stop us."
Then what was the point of your 'plan?' They're still suspicious of us!
"The point was to hide our identities as time travelers. Now those ghosts will not put much thought as to why you might act differently. They'll probably just blame it on me."
That doesn't really help things and how am I acting differently? Teito asked, surprised.
"Master, please tell me you've noticed."
Noticed what?
"You have come a long way from being a suicidal teenager who had just lost his best friend, master. Even though your scars are still there, you are more relaxed now. You aren't uncertain about where your loyalties lie and you now have a definite goal to reach for."
I suppose so...
"By the way, Fest did send his dolls to spy on us. They're hiding in the closet and in the hollow spaces in the walls."
The walls are hollow? I never knew that... *Sigh* "Well, this certainly complicates things," Teito muttered. Mikhail, can you tell me what happened earlier today then?
"...It's best if you don't know, actually."
...You did something didn't you?
"Noooooo..."
Don't lie to me, Mikhail.
"I'm not lying."
"WHAT IN THE WORLD DID YOU DO?!"
"Master, if I told you, you would probably stressed over what the point of it was, the point being a personal dislike towards a certain ghost. All you need to concern yourself with is not passing out. For some reason, your body STILL hasn't completely accepted your soul!"
I thought we already worked that out two days ago!
"Oh, no, we just sorted out your memories. There isn't really all that much we can do to help your body accept a foreign soul."
My souls not foreign.
"Your soul came from the future. Of course its foreign!"
"MY SOUL IS NOT FOREIGN! I'm the exact same person as I was before!" (2)
"Master, I do believe Fest can hear whatever is spoken in this room, so I suggest you don't scream too loudly."
*Knock, knock*
"Oh, um, coming!" Teito called out, jumping off his bed and making his way to the door. When he opened it, he saw Rosalie standing in front of the door.
"Good evening, Teito-kun! Bishop Castor told me that you fell unconscious again today! Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, thank you."
"Teito-kun, you really should eat more! If you don't, you won't have enough stamina to stay awake for a whole day!" Rosalie scolded gently. "And I'm not the only one who thinks that, so you better come down to dinner today, or else I and the other sisters will have no other choice than to come and drag you down to the cafeteria by force."
"Er, don't worry, Sister Rosalie, I'll make sure to come down to dinner today," Teito said, sweat-dropping. Hmm, now that I think about it, I never did go down to eat breakfast and I must have slept through lunch time.
"Master, you really should take care of your health more," Mikhail said.
Alright, Mikhail.
"Oh, yes, before I forget, Castor-san also asked me to show you to your new room," Rosalie said cheerfully.
"My new room?" Teito asked before remembering that most examinees were expected to stay at the applicants' hall until the beginning on the exam. That means I'll be room mates with Hakuren again.
"Yes. All examinees have to stay in the applicants' hall. The dorms are closer to the infirmary, library and cafeteria, so they're really convenient," Rosalie explained. "Do you want to pack any of your belongings then, Teito-kun?"
"No, I really don't have anything besides that Bascule," Teito replied.
"Really?" Rosalie asked. "Then I'll deliver some more clothes for you to wear tomorrow before the funerals start."
"Funerals?" Teito asked, picking up Mikage and the Bascule that was beside his bed before running after Rosalie.
"Oh, didn't you hear? There is going to be a large funeral ceremony for the people who had dropped dead because of a mysterious cause two days ago," Rosalie explained.
So quickly? Teito thought.
"Isn't that great, master? We can sneak out of the Barsburg church tomorrow without having to deal with Profe, Zehel or Fest!" Mikhail said, excitedly.
"Apparently, this isn't only happening at the church," Rosalie continued. "Scores of people around the empire have been found to have died the same way at the exact same time. Not only that, the Bishops who went to travel to lands outside the empire's borders have reported in similar deaths."
Were all those people really destined to die in just two months? Teito thought
"It seems so. I wouldn't see any other reason for them to have died like that if they haven't," Mikhail replied.
"Have you also heard about Bishop Labrador?"
"N-no, I haven't. What is it? Did something bad happen to him?" Teito asked.
"Apparently, he's locked himself in his room ever since the evening before last. It's really worrying. When I asked Bishop Castor, all he said was that Labrador-san has a terrible headache," Rosalie said sadly. "I hope Bishop Labrador will be well enough to attend the funerals."
I wonder what happened to Labrador-san, Teito thought.
"You can try asking Fest and Zehel later. Ask the nun when the funnerals will begin and end."
"Rosalie, how long will the funerals last?" Teito asked
"They'll begin at 9:00 a.m. and end at 8 p.m. There will also be a hour long break so all those attending will get a chance to eat Lunch. The funeral will be for the criminals who worked at the church, the assistant archbishop Bastian, the pope and the villagers from the surrounding town who had also passed away. The entire funeral wilL be funded by the church."
"Wha- THE POPE DIED?!" Teito shouted.
"Well, that's a surprise," Mikhail stated.
"Yes, it's shocking isn't it?" Rosalie said. "You aren't the only one who didn't know, either. The bishops are trying to keep this quiet until the actual funeral begins."
"Then should you have really told me that?"
"Oh, don't worry. It won't matter much since half of the church probably already knows about it."
"I see."
"We're here," Rosalie said, stopping in front of an ordinary wooden door. " I'll introduce you to your roommate. I hope you will become great friends!"
"I'll try my best."
*Knock knock*
"Coming," a voice was heard from behind the door.
Hakuren had no idea how to mark this day so far. He didn't know if it should be classified as good, bad, normal or strange. First, he woke up in his new dorm at 6:00 a.m.. He got dressed before going down to eat breakfast in the large cafeteria at 7:00 a.m. After finishing, he went for a walk around the church, encountering Teito along the way at around 8:00 a.m. He had been sitting on one of the staircases of the church. Hakuren had gone up to him to apologize for his earlier rudeness but the shorty had the nerves to ignore the apology and walk away without a second glance. He had gone to the library, frustrated. However, during the whole way, Hakuren had started to have a headache. It was as if there was a small voice in his head telling him that he shouldn't be there in the church, that he should be doing something more important.
Leave, Hakuren! The small voice kept saying. You have more important things to do! Don't you remember? He's your comrade! You promised to fight as brothers in arms! You have to get out of here and save him!
Save who? Hakuren tried asking.
But it only said, Stop playing ignorant! You already know the answer! (3)
By the time he finally got to the library, his headache had gotten worse. He thought about going to the infirmary, but, surprisingly, his headache had gone down when he got to the library.
Strange, I wonder what that was about... Hakuren thought. He decided to read the entire volume of chapter 45 again, to make sure that he had it memorized it, since, last night, his memory was a bit fuzzy at that moment. He was only on chapter 7 when two more examinees came running into the library as if Verloren himself was chasing them around 10:00 a.m.
"What's wrong?" Hakuren asked, curiously.
"We just escaped from a demon!" the one with purple hair exclaimed breathing heavily.
"What? Why would there be a demon in a church of all places?" Hakuren asked confused.
"My brother and I had decided to take a study break and go exploring the church for a while," the one with the black hair in a pony tail told the blond. "However, while doing that, we heard a bunch of noises coming from one of the courtyards. When we went to go investigate-"
"When we got there, we saw a short kid with brown hair and red eyes wearing dark robes smashing apart these human-like dolls which were screaming! Screaming! Dolls don't scream! How is it possible?!" the purple-haired one exclaimed.
Brown hair, short height and wears dark clothes? Hakuren thought. Could it be that middle school kid, Teito Klein? No, it can't be, he doesn't have red eyes, they're green. He doesn't seem like the type who could use his Bascule very well either when I first met him. Though appearances can be deceiving. I'll go try and find him later and ask him about it.
Afterwards, Hakuren and the two examinees decided to review volume 45 together for the time being. He learned that their names were Wida and Liam. The two of them were brothers who lived in the town surrounding the Barsburg Church. There parents had died when they were younger so it was just the two of them. They had wanted to be able to protect one another better so they were studying to become bishops.
After that the three went down to the dinning hall for lunch at 12:00 p.m. Strangely enough, Hakuren couldn't seem to find the small brunette any where.
It shouldn't be that hard to spot him. He's probablythe only examinee not wearing white robes. He wears mourning robes of all things, Hakuren thought. Did he come from a funeral recently? Come to think of it, wasn't there a funeral ceremony two days ago? That was the same day all those people started dying. I still can't believe the head of the Oak family has also passed away. Hopefully, that loser, Shuri won't become the head of the family. I may not like that kid all too much for insulting my family and my face, but I do agree with him about Shuri. That guy's an idiot! ... I haven't seen Teito at breakfast either. And last night his hands were burned. But why should I care about him? I barely knew him for a day! And why do I feel like running away from this church? There isn't anything for me to do out there!
After lunch, he bid Liam and Wida farewell and went back to the library to finish reading volume 45. After reading for 3 more hours (4 p.m.) Hakuren decided to go back to his dorm. Thanks to Wida and Liam, Hakuren was able to review the volume faster than he could have and only had 22 chapters left in the volume. Hakuren checked out 5 of the books so he could read them in his dorm before going off to the training hall. He had been reading for half an hour when their was a knock on his door.
"Coming," Hakuren said before he got out of his seat to answer the door. However, when he opened it, Hakuren's eyes widened in shock. Standing outside the door was a nun and Teito Klein, himself. And the only reason why he would be here is if...
"Hello, my name is Rosalie and this here is your new room mate, Teito Klein," the nun, Rosalie said. "Teito, this here is Hakuren Oak from the first district, and he will be your roommate for the duration of the exam."
"Please change it / Please change it," Hakuren and 'Teito' (It was actually Mikhail who said it) said simultaneously.
...Did his voice change just now? Hakuren thought, surprised. No, maybe it was just my imagination.
"Not happening," Rosalie said, before continuing as if she was talking to a couple of little kids. "Roommates are determined in order to act as a team to improve and challenge each other. The spirits of affection and service are the first steps of serving God."
However, all Hakuren and 'Teito' (again, Mikhail) did was glare at each other.
After Rosalie had left, Hakuren had gone back to his studies while Teito sat on the other desk studying the Bascule in his hands.
Mikhail, Can I ask you a question? Teito asked. Why did you ask Rosalie to switch rooms? You already knew that we couldn't.
"It's just that I don't like that boy's attitude towards you."
That's it?
"What do you mean, 'that's it'?! For most of your life you have been mistreated, isolated and ridiculed. It's just that I can't bear it when someone you consider close does not take you seriously."
Don't worry about it, Mikhail. You know that Hakuren isn't like that.
Behind Teito, Hakuren closed the book he was reading and got up. He picked up his bascule and said, "We're going to Bascule training now. Get ready."
"Huh?"
"And now he's ordering my master," Mikhail mumbled.
Hakuren sighed. "I wonder if you can even use a Bascule...Middle Schooler."
"Don't call me a middle schooler!" Teito said, angrily. Sheesh, what is with blond people and calling me short? "And you can go on without me. I need to sort out some things before hand."
"Alright, if you say so," Hakuren said before walking out of the room.
"Master, you should skip training today and get some more rest."
"Why? I already slept half the day away. If I get anymore sleep, I'll get sick of it!"
"Alright, Master, but don't blame me if you fall unconscious on the way to the training room!"
With that, Teito got up and walked out of the room. If I'm not mistaken, the training hall was this way, Teito thought. He walked down several hallways and staircases until he reached the corridor leading directly to the Kor Palace. It should be right around the cor-
"I HATE YOU!"
"Ah!" My head...It's hurting again, Teito thought, falling down to his knees.
"Master!"
"YOU... WHAT ARE YOU?!"
"I can offer a substitute corpse...The queen's life can be spared..."
Why do I feel so tired? Teito thought, his vision swimming.
"Tonight's vessel... is truly beautiful."
"BURUPYA!" Mikage said worried, as it licked Teito's face.
"I knew it!" Mikhail said- after Teito fell unconscious. "I knew this would happen! This is why I told master to go back to his room, but did he listen to me? no! No one ever listens to me, unlike Raphael. how does it do that?! even in heaven the other angels would listen to raphael more than me! It's just not fair! I should've just taken over and bring master ba-"
"Hey, are you alright?"
After Wida and Liam had left Hakuren at lunch, the two of them went back home to get their Bascules. They had left their Bascules at home since they thought it would be burdensome to carry them around all day. On their way back to the church, they got side-tracked by street performers showing monkeys performing acrobats and playing instruments. They stayed there for about half an hour before continuing on their way to the church.
When they got there, they saw some of the sisters were having trouble carrying winter supplies so they decided to help them store away the goods. After two hours of weightlifting (Liam: "Wow, these things weigh a ton!" Random Sister: "Of course they do! These supplies are supposed to last all winter and to support all the nuns and bishops who live here.") Wida and Liam went to the water fountain to rest from carrying supplies.
After 10 minutes, they went down to the training hall with the ninth group (4) and practiced using their Bascules for around two hours. When their time was up, Liam and Wida decided to go to the library to study some more before dinner. However, while leaving the training hall, they heard something down one of the corridors and found someone had collapsed onto the floor. Wida and Liam ran to the person.
"Hey, are you alright?" Wida asked, coming closer. The two of them knelt down.
"W-Wida, isn't that the kid from before?" Liam asked. He hesitantly tried to shake the boy awake, but the kid wouldn't wake up. "What should we do?! He looks like he fainted."
"We should take him to the infirmary," Wida said. "Maybe then we can ask him about what he was doing in the courtyard."
"Are you sure that's a good idea?"
"Of course! He might have been scary before but he needs our help now, doesn't he?"
"Alright, brother. But what's this pink rabbit doing here?" Liam asked pointing to the pink fyulong still licking the boy's face.
"Pya, pya!" It kept saying. Wida's eyes widened in shock.
"It's a baby Fyulong dragon! They are said to be god's messengers who used to guard Raggs Castle before the Raggs War 10 years ago. There is also the rumor that the Fyulong dragons are the ones that caused the fifth district to be completely frozen and uninhabitable." Wida informed his younger brother. "We should take it with us. It seems very worried about his friend."
Wida carried the brunette on his back while Liam held the three bascules, the fyulong deciding to sit on Liam's head for the time being. Once they reached the infirmary, one of the sisters rushed over to them.
"Hello, how may I- Teito-kun?! Did he fall unconscious again? Here, let me take him," the sister said.
Another sister came over to help put the boy, whom Wida and Liam supposed was Teito, onto one of the beds. The fyulong jumped from Liam's head and bounced to Teito's side, rubbing its head against the brunette's. Liam went over to pace Teito's bascule besides his bed
"Um, excuse me," Wida asked, "my name is Wida and this is my brother, Liam. We were wondering if you could tell us who that boy is?"
"We found him unconscious in one of the corridors. He looked like he was on his way to the training hall," Liam added.
"Thank you for carrying him to the infirmary," the first sister said. "My name is Arianna and this here is Sabrina. The boy you brought here is Teito Klein. This is the second day in a row he had come to the infirmary."
"It has?" Wida asked.
"Oh, yes. Yesterday he came in with his hands burned. It wasn't too severe so we were able to give him some burning salve. It looks like they've fully healed now."
"He's been falling unconscious a lot, recently, too," Sister Sabrina said. "Isn't it the third time this week?"
"No, it's the fourth. The first time was when Sister Rosalie found him injured in an abandoned hallway she never saw before."
"And then there was that time when the bishops first brought him here. He was covered in blood and dirt and his clothes were tattered and he was wearing chains."
"Well, you can't really expect much from that. He did get trapped in a avalanche."
"True, true."
The two nuns were so wrapped up in their discussion that they forgot that Liam and Wida were there, listening in to their conversation, the color draining from their faces.
An avalanche? Blood? Falling unconscious several times? He was wearing CHAINS?! Wida thought.
No wonder the fyulong was so worried about him, Liam thought. "Will he be ok?" Liam asked.
"Oh, don't worry, I'm sure he just fainted from fatigue and hunger. You see, he hasn't eaten anything all day today," Sabrina told them.
"He wasn't at dinner last night or the night before," Arianna said. "We were planning on tying him up before putting Teito into a potato sac and carrying him down to the cafeteria by force if he had decided to skip dinner again."
Isn't that a bit extreme...? Wida and Liam thought together. "You seem very attached to Teito-kun," Wida remarked.
"That's because Teito is a lost lamb who has been through very much in his life," Arianna said sadly. "You can tell by looking at his eyes."
"We want Teito to feel right at home here at the church, but sometimes we feel like he wants to run away from this place and never see it again," Sabrina added
"Hey, do you want to know something strange?" Arianna asked the two examinees.
"Sure..." They said, not really thinking they needed to know.
"Every time Teito-kun tries to leave the church, the bishops always drags him back against his will," Arianna said. "It's almost as if they know something bad is going to happen to him if he leaves the church."
"Really? But shouldn't it really be Teito's decision whether he stays or leaves the church?" Wida asked.
"It should be but if the bishops don't want Teito-kun to go then there must be a good reason behind it."
"I suppose..." Wida said, not really sure what to think. "Well, anyways, Liam and I have to go to the library to study some more before dinner. Good day."
"Good day," Liam called from behind his back as he walked after Wida.
"Good bye," the sisters said, cheerfully.
"Murderous Intent... rising... I'LL KILL YOU!" Mikhail screamed in Teito's head. It had listened to the whole conversation between the examinees and the sisters. It had a strong urge to gain control of Teito's body and beat the nuns' brains on the marble floor. "HOW DARE YOU GO AND GOSSIP ABOUT MY MASTER TO COMPLETE STRANGERS?! HAVE YOU NO SENSE OF PRIVACY?! And those two insects will probably go and tell all the other insects in the church and then they will probably make fun of my master and I WANT TOO KILL THEM!"
Unfortunately, there was nothing Mikhail could do. If it tried to take over Teito's body, Teito would be even more drained than he already was. It also knew that Fest was still watching its master closely, and Mikhail didn't want to attract the meddling ghost attention anymore than he already had. Mikhail was sure that Teito would be catching more of it after the two of them escaped the church.
Labrador had finally come out of his room out of hunger. Two days of eating practically nothing had become too much for the young Bishop. Labrador however refused to go near the edible flowers in the cafeteria. As a result, Castor, Labrador and Frau decided to eat a belated lunch/ early dinner in Frau's room. Castor's room was too cluttered and messy with different tools, equipment and puppet parts for all three of them to fit in to the room. Labrador's room too was small and disorganized (Frau: "Why is your room so small?! And why is it that both of your rooms look like a tornado hit the place?!" Castor: "I may be a genius, but a neat freak I am not." Labrador: "Small places make me feel safe. I was destroying flowers, seeds and pots because it gave me a headache."). Frau had made a bunch of cookies, cupcakes and banana bread to make Labrador feel better. (Castor: "My, my, Frau. You really do have a heart!" Frau: "Shut up, ya damn glasses." *Smack* Castor: "Don't call me that name. It's bad enough that Lance uses it.")
"I never knew going without food for long periods of time could make food more appetizing. I can see why Teito managed to eat so much when he first arrived here!" Labrador exclaimed, quickly but neatly eating the baked goods in front of him.
"Eh, the kid just ate that much to grow taller," Frau said indifferently. "If it wasn't for that and us dragging him down to the cafeteria, he would have gone off without eating anything."
"Ah, I haven't talked to Teito-kun in a while. Did he get moved to the applicants hall yet?"
"Yes, he has," Castor informed, taking a bite out of the sugar-coated cookie. "Though it seems that Teito is neglecting his health."
"Huh? Did the brat do something stupid again?" Frau asked alarmed.
"Relax Frau. Teito-kun just forgot to eat for nearly a day and has fallen unconscious due to either hunger or stress."
"WHAT?!" Frau shouted. "Don't you think you should have told us that sooner?!"
"Didn't I just tell you to relax, Frau? Don't worry, Teito is back in the infirmary and it's not like he's going to die or anything."
"It's quite strange, though," Castor mused. "You would have expected battle slaves to have more endurance than that. I would say that Teito must have been under a lot of stress to fall unconscious so many times so far."
"That is to be expected. Teito-kun did lose a very precious friend," Labrador supported.
"Don't forget Mikhail," Frau added, annoyed. "Seriously, what's its problem? It's like it hates to even hear my name."
"It probably does," Labrador told him. "I mean, you did try to devour Teito-kun's soul."
"It wasn't on purpose!" Frau protested. "The scythe acted on its own!"
"And you should have better control on your scythe," Castor interupted. "really now, you had this scythe for how long now? Ten years or so?"
"HEY! Do you know how hard it is to control this damn thing?! It's a miracle that I survived this long!"
Castor winced. "I'm sorry Frau. That was insensitive of me."
"You're damn right you're sorry! Not only does it take most of my willpower to control it, do you know how picky it is?! 'Only the best of the best' it says. 'Nothing but the best. I won't eat this garbage!' And then I have to force it to eat the wars souls and make sure it doesn't devour the pure human soul along with it!"
"Yes, Frau. You're devotion and determination is greatly appreciated by the Barsburg church. But it would be nice if you put this sort of effort into your reports and paper work," Castor told Frau. "That way, you would be helping us poor souls who usually get stuck with doing the work you neglect every single time."
"I don't have time for paper work! At night I'm out purifying wars and removing Kors, and during the day, I'm busy catching up on sleep, playing with the orphans, sometimes going to mass and now watching out for the brat."
"Alright, children that will be enough," Labrador interjected. "The past is the past, and, Castor, you know that nothing will get Frau to do his paperwork, not even burning those things."
*Sigh* "Yes, I suppose that is true. I have already lost count at how many times I had to burn them."
"Evil..." Frau hissed.
"But Labrador is right. We can discuss this at a later time. Right now, we have to focus on the 'BIG' problem," Castor continued gravely, ignoring Frau.
"And that would be...?" Frau asked, uncertainly.
"As we all know, Labrador has grown a sort of headache whenever he is near large concentrations of flowers. Even though we do not know why exactly this is the case, I have come to the conclusion that Labrador's powers with plants has jump to a new level, meaning that she can here all the flowers talking about everything from the future. And when I say everything, I mean everything, right down the the next minute. All that is about to happen in the world, at every single place, whether it be just a millisecond or an eternity."
"Sounds bothersome," Frau commented.
"Hell is a more accurate description," Labrador murmured.
"As such, I have decided to test Labrador's affinity to all the different flowers that grow in the Barsburg Empire," Castor declared.
Silence.
"Come again?" Frau and Labrador asked.
"I'm going to test Labrador's affinity to all the different flowers that grow in the Barsburg Empire," Castor repeated.
"How?!"
"Simple." Castor got up and pointed at the door. "Outside this door, lies most of my sister dolls, lined up, each hold one type of every type of flower found throughout the empire, whether it be as rare as dinosaur or as common as the ocean water underneath the floating continents."
"Thank you, Castor-san!" Labrador said, happily. " I know that the Barsburg church itself doesn't have all the varieties of flowers in the whole must have been hard work to get all of those plants together."
"Oh, no, I didn't do anything at all," Castor said with a wave of his hand. I just made sure to label all of them and make sure that I wasn't missing anything. If there's anyone who's to be thanked, it's Frau for so kind as o collect all these flowers from all seven districts in two days."
"Wha- hey, wait a minute, you told me you needed those plants to make some sort of medicine for a poor sick person with a rare and never before documented disease!"
"Well, it is true. This has never happened to any of the previous Profes according to the memories of Cuvere, and Labrador is a poor soul that desperately needs our help- no offense, Labrador."
"None taken," Labrador said, still happy.
"Well at least you could have told me," Frau muttered.
"But how did you manage to get all those plants so quickly Frau?" Labrador asked curiously.
"I was wondering about that too," Castor said.
"...Secret," was all Frau would say. (4)
Hakuren had been waiting for Teito outside the cavern entrance, but he had not seen the other boy yet. The red-haired nun was already about to lead the last group down the staircase leading to the training room. (5) I wonder if the middle schooler's alright. He probably got lost again. Why do I even care?
Are you seriously asking that question? the same small voice said.
Go away, you're annoying, Hakuren thought irritated.
"Alright, everyone, we are going to pass through the barrier now," the nun said.
"Look at my bascule," one of the examinees behind Hakuren told his friend as the group descended the staircase beyond the door in the cavern.
"Cool! Isn't that the latest style?" his friend asked. "You're probably going to be the best one here!"
And they expect to pass the bishop exam? Hakuren scoffed inwardly. It doesn't matter what model your Bascule is. If you can't synchronize with it, it's completely worthless. Only the wielder can bring forth the true power of a bascule.
"And finally, this is the place where you will practice," the nun said, stopping in front of tall black doors framed in gold. "Although this is merely a training hall, please remember to stand strong in your beliefs."
With that, the doors opened to show a tunnel with hundreds, if not thousands, of trapped Kor swimming in a body of water.
"They're Kor trapped within a barrier of water," Hakuren informed to no one in particular. Most of the other examinees were too awed by the Kor's palace to actually pay attention.
"That is correct," the nun said, smiling. "However, keep in mind that, though the kor cannot exit the water, these Kor are all real."
"Amateurs should step back," Hakuren said, aiming his bascule at the Kor. With perfect aim, Hakuren managed to destroy five of the Kor on his first try.
"Awesome!" One of the examinees said.
"He hit all of them dead on," another one said jealously.
This isn't all I can do either, Hakuren thought, as he readied his aim once again.
Why are you wasting time here? You need to get back to Houborg Fortress! the small voice in his head said.
Oh, just be quiet. There's nothing for me to do at Houborg fortress, Hakuren thought. I spent years studying to become a bishop. I can't just leave empty handed.
But you already passed the exam! You're the Princess' teacher!
I don't know what you're talking about. Hakuren shot at another Kor, destroying it.
After leaving the infirmary, Wida and Liam went to the library as planned, they looked up on supplementary texts that would help with their understanding of the major events mentioned in the scriptures. After 2 hours of searching and reading, they went back to the cafeteria for dinner. after getting their eyefish soup soaked in winkhob, they looked around for a few minutes before spotting Hakuren sitting at a table near the entrance.
"Hakuren-kun!" Wida and Liam called out, walking towards Hakuren's table before setting their trays down and sitting opposite from Hakuren.
"Wida-kun, Liam-kun, it's nice to see you again," Hakuren said, looking up.
"You won't believe who we met on our way from the training hall!" Liam said. "It was the boy we were telling you about before."
"We found him lying unconscious on one of the corridors leading to the training hall," Wida added. "We brought him to the infirmary so he should be alright now."
"When did you find him?" Hakuren asked.
"About two hours ago."
"Did his name happen to be Teito Klein, then?"
"H-how did you know?!" Liam asked the blonde, shocked.
"He's my new room mate," Hakuren explained. "We were suppose to go to the training hall with the last group going before dinner but he told me to go on ahead. I wanted to ask him about that incident you told me about after I've seen how skilled he was with a bascule. However, he never showed up, so when you said that you found a small brown-haired boy lying unconscious on the hallway leading to the training hall 2 hours ago, it isn't that difficult to figure out who it was. Do you know why he fainted?"
"Sister Sabrina that Teito-kun hasn't eaten in a while" Wida asked Hakuren. "When we took him to the infirmary and the nuns even said that they were conspiring to kidnap Teito and drag him down to dinner."
"I find that a bit too extreme to believe," Hakuren stated. "Though it explains why he's so short."
"They sisters also talked about how Teito first came to the church," Liam said, excitedly. "They say that when these bishops first brought him to the church, he was covered with dirt and blood and he had chains on. They also mentioned something about an avalanche."
Hakuren's eyes widened. "Really? Did the sisters say anything else?"
"They also said that the Bishops won't let him leave the church," Liam replied. "Every time Teito tried to leave the church, the bishops would always drag him back."
Hmm, it seems that the more I learn about Teito the less I understand him, Hakuren thought perplexed. "What could be so dangerous that the bishops would personally stop him from leaving church grounds?"
"The nuns didn't tell us. But they did say that this was the fourth time this week that Teito fell unconscious," Wida said. "He also went to the infirmary yesterday because he burned his hands."
"Hey, Wida, Hakuren, maybe we should try to find out more about Teito-kun!" Liam said. "He sounds like an intriguing person, and I bet it will be fun to try and solve out who he really is!"
"I really don't think that we should do that, Liam," Wida said. "It's up to Teito if he wants anyone to know who he is, and we are like complete strangers to him."
"Well, then, I'm sure we can at least try to become friends with Teito. For all we know, he probably doesn't have a friend his age at the church."
"I suppose we could. What about it, Hakuren-kun? Do you want to help us?"
"I don't think I can become friends with the middle schooler, but I can try, if you want." Besides, this mystery surrounding Teito is growing thicker the more I learn about him. He might also know about that irritating voice in my head.
"Excuse me? Hakuren-kun?" someone said from behind Wida and Liam. Hakuren looked up to see that it was Sister Rosalie again.
"How may I help you, Sister Rosalie?" Hakuren asked.
"Do you know if Teito-kun came down to dinner yet?" Rosalie asked.
"The last I've heard, he fell unconscious and so was taken to the infirmary," Hakuren informed the nun."
"What?! Again?! When did he fall unconscious?"
"Around two hours ago."
"What?! But that makes it the second time he fainted today! And he had just woken up two hours ago! Thank you for telling me, Hakuren-kun." Rosalie then turned and called to a group of nuns a few feet away. They were holding a large potato sac, some rope and duck tape. "Sorry, but we'll have to postpone the "Kidnap-Teito-kun-in-a-bag-and-drag-him-down-to-ea t-food" Project. It seems that Teito is back in the infirmary."
"Oh no, not again!" one of the sisters said.
"And I got all excited over nothing," another stated sadly.
"Well, I'm sure we can execute our plans some other time," the last nun reassured.
"Alright lets go put all this stuff back and prepare a large snack for Teito-kun when he wakes up!" Rosalie said excitedly.
"...Wida-kun, you know when I told you I find it hard to believe the nuns would actually kidnap Teito?" Hakuren said after a long pause.
"Yes?"
"I change my mind. I'll try not to doubt you next time."
*The next morning.*
When Hakuren woke up at 6:00 a.m., he again got dressed before going down to the cafeteria for breakfast. Hakuren still hadn't seen Teito yet and Teito's bed still looked like it did before Teito came to the dorm.
"He must still be in the infirmary," Hakuren said out loud to himself.
After breakfast, Hakuren went walking through the church grounds. Around him nuns, bishops and examinees were walking to and fro, hurrying to get their tasks complete. Well, today is the day the major funerals are going to take place.
When Hakuren got tired of the scenery, he began walking to the library, only to be stopped by a group of children.
"Mister, mister!" the one in the middle called out.
Hakuren stopped to face them, asking, "Yes? Is there something I can help you with?"
"A letter for you, Hakuren Oak!" The one on the left replied. After the one on the right handed the letter to Hakuren, the group of children ran off to the garden. Hakuren looked down at the letter. Wait, that seal. It's the Oak family's crest!
Immediately, Hakuren opened the envelope and began to read.
Dear Hakuren Oak,
You may or may not have known, but I, Atsuhiko Oak, as the younger brother of Wakaba Oak, has been named temporary head of the Oak estate until Shuri Oak, the current heir to the Oak estate, has passed the military exams and has thus become part of the military. As my son, you are required to attend your uncle's funeral at the Oak Estate in a few days time, whether you like it or not. You must also stay at the Oak estate until Shuri Oak has passed the exam. If he does not pass the exam in three years time, or if he dies, you, Hakuren Oak, are expected to take his place. Within this envelope is the invitation to the funeral. An escort should arrive at the Barsburg Church tomorrow morning. Your mother has been feeling quite lonely without you. Why not come and pay her a visit too? We wouldn't want anything bad to happen to her, now would we? (6)
Yours sincerely,
Atsuhiko Oak.
(1) One of Mikhail's abilities include that of being able to listen to other people from long distances. (Kapitel 11: Nightmare, part 2)
(2) Since Teito's soul is still having difficulties merging with his soul (the real reason will be disclosed in later chapters), Teito may get angry or stressed out easier and may seem a bit OOC because of that. Teito will also be experiencing more nightmares from now on.
(3) The small voice here is part of Hakuren's future emotions which managed to be preserved. It represented Hakuren's future worry and concern towards Teito's wellbeing after Houborg fortress was in a state of panic. It wanted to go back to Houborg Fortress to save Teito. It was just a MEMORY. It isn't conscious, so it doesn't know that Teito was back at the church.
(4) To be revealed later on. This is a really important point.
(5) In this story, there are a total of 10 groups of students that come to use the training room each day. Each group is lead by a different nun. Each group has a total of 20-30 applicants who get to practice in the Kors' water palace for two hours at a time. Examinees can only join a group once a day. Wida and Liam joined the ninth group to the watery palace. Teito would have gone with the tenth and last group of the day if he had not fallen unconscious.
(6) Subtle threat alert, subtle threat alert!
If I am making no sense whatsoever, or if there are grammatical errors, please tell me.
Thank you for reading! In the next chapter, the time travelers will be reunited. If they don't, I'll make sure to steal Ayanami's hat and blame it on Teito. (And Labrador is a boy, NOT a girl!)
By the way, I just noticed that I never asked you readers to review, so I'll ask now: REVIEW! :D