Disclaimer: I do not own -man (Property of the currently very ill Hoshino-Sensei).We pray that she recovers soon.

Chapter 13: Trust

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Day 15: I am still feeling bothered by a comment made to me a week ago.

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Lavi was heading towards the supervisor's office. It was late in the evening already and the Order seemed to have become a sleepy sort of place. Or rather, more like a fatigued one. He only had been in the Order for scarcely more than two weeks and even now, he was feeling a bit of the tiredness.

That's because Jiji always makes me cram the books that are in the Order.

Not that Lavi doesn't like reading, but making a person read and memorize books that can be used for weight-lifting every single day is enough to make anyone scream.

But when it comes to the air of exhaustion…

The science department is the worst. Lavi concluded as he entered the department. The scientists were like walking zombies, feeding on coffee to protect themselves from banishment to the land where people actually sleep.

Lavi was always amazed how the work of the scientists seem to defy the laws of physics, piling high and never falling.

I wonder if this work ever ends…Ah, nevermind. What could my first mission be?

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Kanda gave Komui a deathly glare when his 'partner' for the mission entered the office.

"Now, this isn't the time to be choosy, we are facing a shortage of people." Komui said in a joking manner when he noticed the look.

"Yo! We meet again, Yuu." Lavi greeted cheerfully.

Kanda ignored Lavi and sat on the couch in the middle of the office, the only piece of furniture free from litter.

"I'll be sending the both of you to Bristol. You can easily get there by train. According to the people in Bristol, there have been people going missing for the past two years." Komui said.

"How many?" Lavi asked also sitting on the couch.

"Seven."

Kanda raised an eyebrow. "That's not strange. People always go missing once in a while."

"True, it's not exactly phenomenal. All the people who disappeared are young so I wouldn't be surprised if they just decided to leave their family out of brashness. In fact, I highly doubt that Innocence is involved."

"So why do we have to investigate?"

"Two of our Finders disappeared there two weeks ago. We lost contact with them completely."

"We have to look for them?" Kanda asked coldly. "Why?"

"Yuu's so cold." Lavi chided.

"Shut up."

"It's actually more of an investigation than a 'search and rescue'. Nevermind, just go there first. I already sent a Finder there to help both of you."

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"You got something against Finders, Yuu?" Lavi asked, curious about Kanda's perceived dislike for the people in the beige coats. He grabbed hold of a stick and pushed the gondola away from the canal. (Is there a technical term for the stick?)

"Oi."

"Yes?"

"Don't call me Yuu." Kanda said angrily.

"There's no need to act so distant. We're going to be working together." Lavi said smiling in his goofy manner.

"Working together?" Kanda almost laughed. "Working together would involve me trusting you."

I rather not talk to you.

"And the issue would be what?" Lavi demanded.

Huh? Is there something wrong with me?

"I don't trust people like you." Kanda replied.

I can understand a person by the light in their eyes.

"I don't place my faith in people who don't exist. There isn't a person behind that farce of yours."

Your eye is like glass. It reflects me, but that's all. Nothing reaches inside.

Lavi fell silent. Another person who commented the same thing about him. He was quite shocked actually. No one, absolutely no one, in these 16 years has ever said such a thing about him, all previous 48 aliases.

And now the 49th alias' true nature is found out.

"What? Can't think of a way to rebut?" Kanda challenged.

"Nope. Not at all." Lavi replied, still smiling.

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Lavi was very glad when he and Kanda finally reached Bristol's train station. The entire trip had been extremely tense ever since they left the Order. He was hoping that the worse is over. Then that Finder had to show up in front of them.

"Ah, Exorcists-sama. I pray that the trip was al… Ack." The Finder paused in mid-sentence when he saw Lavi.

Lavi recognized the Finder and recognized him pretty well. The messy black hair, the short stature and the childish puppy-like face. He looked so much like a child that Lavi was amazed how he even managed to survive being a Finder for nearly a year.

"Is there something wrong?" Lavi asked even though he could pretty much guess why the Finder went 'Ack'.

"No." The Finder replied shortly, turning away for Lavi and introducing himself to Kanda. "My name is Doug, nice to meet you." He stuck out his hand.

"And what have you found out?" Kanda said in a slightly impatient tone. He ignored the offered hand.

Doug withdrew his hand immediately. "I found the identities of the missing people, but I haven't got the time to ask about the details because I had to pick you two up from the station." He said, slightly intimidated.

There was a short pause until Doug suggested that they go talk to the missing people's relatives in the town.

Wonderful. Stuck with two people who don't trust me at all. If one could die of stress, I would have done so a couple of times over already.

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Time lapse to late evening.

The trio was done questioning the relatives of the missing people. It was quite troublesome especially since for every group of relatives which were questioned, at least one in the group would start to break down and cry. Leaving the residential areas, they started to look for an inn to stay for the night, discussing their findings along the way.

"So what we have gotten so far is that all the missing people are male and young. And the time they went missing is always when they happened to be travelling and then their families lose all contact with them." Doug said, summarizing the information they got from the victim's families.

"Also, they disappeared a few days after their families receive word that they're returning home." Lavi added. "The funny thing is that there are also other travelers who fit the profile but did not go missing."

"Is it an Akuma?" Doug asked Kanda.

"Maybe."

"I thought Akuma weren't picky about their victims." Lavi pointed out. "If it was Akuma, shouldn't there be more people vanishing? Nobody reported clothes appearing out of nowhere either. I really doubt it's an Akuma attack."

"Right." Doug said. "So if nothing happens tomorrow, I guess we have to focus on looking for the missing Finders."

They continued walking through the town when Kanda, who was walking ahead, suddenly stopped in front of one of the inns. The inn had three stories and it had a huge signboard which read " Remaneo Foreva-Bed and Breakfast"

"Something wrong, Yuu?" Lavi asked because it was quite abrupt.

Doug went up to the window and saw that there was a sign there.

"I think we can stay here. It's really cheap and the place does not look so run down either!" Doug exclaimed, rather happy because the Order always emphasized that lodgings should be at as low budget as possible, for obvious reasons.

"So you're concerned about the price too…" Lavi grinned, thinking that Kanda stopped because the lodgings were inexpensive. The other Exorcist did not comment.

"I'll go see if there are any rooms." Doug went up the staircase of the patio and pressed the doorbell. And then in the time it took for the Finder to remove his finger from the button, the door opened.

The three teenagers were greeted by a brunette woman who was all smiles. She was not very old, it seems but the fine lines on her face showed that she was not very young either.

That's creepy. It's almost as though she was waiting by the door. Lavi suddenly got the chills down his spine.

"Hi. Are you three looking for a place to stay?" The woman asked, flashing her not-so-white teeth.

"Uh…Yes." Doug managed to say. Apparently he was shocked by the almost immediate response to the doorbell as well. "Do you have enough rooms? I mean, the price is really low and all…"

"Of course I have rooms. The third floor is completely taken but the second floor is completely available." The innkeeper said, almost as though she was advertising.

Doug turned to the two exorcists who were at the bottom of the stairs. "Is this place alright?"

"Yeah, it's fine." Lavi said, still trying to shake off the weird feeling. He turned to Kanda only to see that he was staring intently at the signboard, as though he shared the same sentiments as Lavi.

The signboard reads 'Remaneo Foreva'. 'Remaneo' is Latin for 'stay' or 'remain' while 'Foreva' comes from 'Forever'. 'Stay Forever'… Anyone would be creeped out by this.

The three boys entered the inn after the innkeeper.

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For a low budget inn, the inside of the building was surprisingly well-furnished. The floor was carpeted a deep red and the wall paper was a rich metallic grey. Lavi noticed that all the furniture (except the tables) were of varying shades of deep red.

This lady must really like red a lot. But isn't it kind of overused…

Then, out of the corner of his eye, Lavi spotted something small and furry sitting near the wall. It was a small dog but it did not bark at all. Its glassy eyes stared blankly at the visitors.

Doug seemed to have noticed the dog as well. "Madam, is that dog stuffed?"

"Oh, that little thing? Yes, he's stuffed. His name is Valent, he's my pet dog, when he was alive, that is."

"You stuffed your pet dog?!"

"Oh yes, and many of my other pets as well. My grandfather used to be a taxidermist so I picked up some of his skills. I just can't bear to bury these darlings when they die so I just preserve and keep them. It's almost as though they are still alive, you see." The innkeeper explained.

"Where are your other stuffed pets then?" Lavi asked since only the dog was in the vicinity.

"They are all on the third floor. The other guests don't seem to mind. Should I make some supper for all of you? You boys are hungry, right?" The innkeeper asked, clapping her hands together.

"Yeah! I'm starving!" Doug replied. He had not had anything to eat since morning because of his job.

"Alright then. I love it when my guests are hungry." The innkeeper said cheerfully. "If you boys don't mind, can you sign in my guest book over there?" She pointed at a book on a small table which was next to Valent. " I enjoy keeping tabs of the people who have come to my inn. I have a bad memory for names so I'm afraid I may not know your names if I see you all again."

"Sure." Lavi replied, answering for the other two as well. "I'll help the both of you write. Yuu, do you want your name in Japanese or English?"

Kanda glared at Lavi. "Don't bother."

"I'll write it in Japanese then." Lavi went to write in the guest book with Kanda tailing him and threatening to rip his thumbs off if he did. Doug sat patiently at the dining table as he anticipated the nice warm food he'll finally be getting as the innkeeper walked into the kitchen to make their supper.

Shortly afterwards, Lavi and Kanda went to join Doug at the dining table.

"Are you not proud of your name?" Lavi asked, a bit grumpy because he did not get to write Kanda's name down in the guestbook.

"None of your business."

Thankfully, it was not long until the innkeeper came out of the kitchen with their supper or Doug may have to endure a full blown argument.

"Enjoy your food. I'll have my own supper in the kitchen." The innkeeper said before disappearing into the kitchen again.

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"The food's delicious!" Doug told the innkeeper.

"Thank you! Shall I bring you to your rooms now?" Only two of the three nodded but all followed the innkeeper anyway. She brought them up to the second floor and led them to two of the rooms.

"The doors cannot be locked. I been trying to get a locksmith to change them but it's just too pricey." The innkeeper said with a sigh.

"It's ok as long as you don't try to steal our stuff." Lavi joked.

The innkeeper laughed and replied, "Of course not, if I do that, no travellers would come anymore".

"So who wants a room to himself?" Of course, any sort of answer was unnecessary as Kanda had already walked into one of the rooms, shutting the door behind him.

"Ah, I guess that's settled." Doug said sheepishly. "Good night, Madam."

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It was already late into the night and the crescent moon was high in the sky. Most people would be deep in their sleep now, most people that is. The innkeeper of "Remaneo Foreva" was wide awake. In fact she was hoping that her three new guests would be the ones deep in their sleep. She checked the clock, it was at least 3 hours since the boys had eaten their supper.

"They must be having peaceful dreams now." She said aloud, as though talking to someone. "They'll play with the rest of you soon, those cute children."

Who should she kill first? She thought. The boy with the long black hair? He was pretty, more beautiful than all the boys she had seen. No, she'll save the best for last.

"I'll send the redhead and the puppy to join you all first. They're really cute and young. You'll definitely like them." The innkeeper decided as she pushed open the door.

There he was, nearer to the door was Doug. The puppy-like boy as the innkeeper had labeled him. She pulled the bed covers off and saw that Doug was sleeping, curled up in a fetal position.

"How cute." The innkeeper commented, taking out the knife she had tucked in her apron. She always wears an apron to keep her clothes clean.

"The neck, as usual." The innkeeper muttered to herself as she pushed Doug's hair away from his neck and positioned the knife there.

"Bye-bye, puppy." She raised the knife high and was going to bring it down towards the boy's throat. She had done it many times, on pigs, chickens and even people. Soon the blood would flow and another would be added to her collection.

However blood did not flow. The knife was knocked out of her hand centimeters above Doug's skin. She looked up and saw the red-head sitting calmly on his bed.

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"Awfully rude for a lady to intrude into a boy's room, don't ja think?" Lavi said, holding his extended Tetsui (Hammer) in his hand. Doug got up and backed away from the innkeeper, his hand on his neck. ("I almost died!" He protested but was ignored by Lavi)

The innkeeper stared wide-eyed and in shock. "How?... You should be asleep!" She screamed.

"If we ate the food that is. We may be young, but we aren't idiots." Lavi said.

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(3 Hours earlier)

"I'm going to eat!" Doug picked up his spoon and was about to scoop a large spoonful of food into his mouth when Kanda stood up from his seat, plate in hand and strode towards the window.

"Wha…!"

And then the Japanese Exorcist promptly opened the window and emptied the plate by chucking his food out.

At that moment, Lavi smirked. "How did you figure out that the food might be spiked?"

"A feeling." Kanda replied shortly.

"The …!" Doug was about to exclaim loudly but a look from Kanda silenced him. "The food's drugged?" He whispered.

"Correct." Lavi replied taking his plate and Doug's and throwing their food out as well. (My food…I was hungry…cry)

Lavi returned to his seat and gave Doug back his plate before explaining. "Seven of the names in the guest book belonged to all the missing people. The first one was dated two years ago and the last one was about a month back."

"That may mean that they stayed here before." Doug argued.

"That's too much of a coincidence." Kanda said.

"Exactly. We're not taking any chances. Besides where are the other guests she talked about?"

"…They're not around."

"And it's not as if it's really late either. But yet, we don't see any other guests."

"Oh god…If she ate with us, we wouldn't have been able to avoid being drugged." Doug said, shocked as he comprehended the situation.

"But she didn't. You wanna know why?" Lavi asked.

"Why?"

"She didn't want us to see her face when she's plotting what she's going to do with us…"

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"So you caught me. That doesn't mean I won't be able to make you all part of my collection!" The innkeeper was about to lunge at both Doug and Lavi but she stopped when she saw that Lavi did not have any fear on his face. He was still smirking as though he had the upper hand.

"What are you smiling at?" The innkeeper demanded, her voice almost a hiss.

"You do remember that a certain pretty boy happens to be 'sleeping' in his own room, right?" If Lavi's grin could grow any wider, it would have.

The innkeeper turned around only to see Kanda dashing towards her, Mugen in hand.

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"I think you overdid it, Yuu." Lavi said, clicking his tongue.

"I did not, and don't call me Yuu." Kanda retorted.

"You didn't have to stab your katana next to her head, you know. You could have scared the poor lady to death."

"I COULD HAVE BEEN SCARED TO DEATH!" Doug suddenly hollered at the other two. "I was practically sweating buckets when she had this knife this close to me." He used his hands to show how close he was to death's door. "Besides, what if she decided to kill Kanda-san first instead?"

"Yuu can protect himself." Lavi replied.

"She would have been dead." Was Kanda's reply.

"What a great plan you both have." Doug said sarcastically. "'Doug, just lie still and pretend to sleep'…There wasn't even room for me to protest!"

Both the Exorcists ignored the Finder. Kanda turned to the innkeeper, who was tied up at the moment.

"Do you work for the Millennium Earl?" He asked.

"Millennium Earl? I never heard of such a thing. I pro…"

"Akuma?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." The innkeeper said in a panicked state. "Look, how about you boys let me go? I won't kill you. I promise I won't kill again!" She pleaded but Kanda was not listening to her pleas.

"So what do we do about her?" Doug asked.

"Call the police. It's their job." Lavi said. "Hey, Yuu! Where are you going?" He shouted after Kanda who was walking out of the room.

"Upstairs."

"Come on. Akuma aren't the only killers in the world." Lavi said as he and Doug followed Kanda up the staircase. "Humans kill each other as well. A crazy innkeeper killed the missing people. Our job's done!"

Kanda continued to ignore Lavi and opened one of the doors on the third floor.

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The innkeeper's not an Akuma…So why do I still have this uneasy feeling?

Upon opening the door, Kanda was disgusted by the sight. There in the room were various stuffed animals and seven people. The seven missing young men were in the middle of the room in various poses, sitting on a chair, arms outstretched or just standing around like mannequins in a clothes store.

"Disgusting." Lavi could not help saying when he saw the sight.

Doug just stared in disbelief. "She stuffed those people!"

"Yeah. Who knew humans were capable of such atrocious acts. I guess we found the missing people."

However, Kanda continued to look around the room. Then he swore in Japanese. He bent under one of the armchairs and pulled out two folded white robes. The Finder's uniform.

Shimata. I was right. Kanda was about to rush back downstairs when Lavi held him back.

"What's gotten into you?"

"Let go, baka! There's something else here."

"Are you sure it isn't your nerves?"

Kanda, extremely irritated by Lavi's lack of alertness, shoved the two coats in front of the other youth's face.

"The two Finders names aren't in the guest book in case you hadn't noticed! They aren't victims of the mad woman either!" Kanda half-shouted, exasperated.

Lavi tried to remember all the names he saw in the guest book. Kanda was right, the two Finders probably never stepped into the inn but yet they were missing and their coats are in the inn.

"That lunatic probably found the coats after those two finders were…" Kanda was cut off in mid-sentence as the innkeeper's shriek suddenly echoed through the whole building. It was blood curdling.

Akuma. There's an akuma in this inn. It probably attacked the Finders when they tried to investigate this place without that damn psycho knowing.

Kanda activated Mugen and ran back to the second floor only to find that the innkeeper had been reduced to a pile of dust and clothes. Lavi walked up to the pile of ash, his Innocence also activated. Both Exorcists looked around anxiously, adrenaline pumping in their system as they were on high alert. Doug remained on the staircase, surveying his surroundings as well.

Where's the Akuma?

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They cannot see me. Of course not, they won't suspect it. What a convenient form I have evolved to. Who should die first? How about the idiot with the eye-patch? Haha, he's blind on the right side, he won't be able to see me attack…

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"I don't see any Akuma…" Lavi said, breathing as slowly as possible.

It couldn't have gotten away. Not this quickly without leaving a trace behind. Kanda thought to himself. There was no tear in the walls or floor. The window wasn't even broken. Everything looked untouched since they left the room.

Don't tell me…

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Something moved quickly towards Lavi. By the time he spotted the assailant with his uncovered left eye, there wasn't enough time for him to react. But he didn't get hit.

He was pushed away before the Akuma managed to reach him. Lavi fell to the floor, slightly stunned by the impact. When his vision cleared, Lavi looked up and he realized why he didn't get the right side of his body punctured through.

The person who did not place any faith in him just took a blow. An attack that was meant for him.

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Blood. There's so much blood… The red liquid dripped onto the red carpet.

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Moko-chan: I. Am. Evil. Because I decided to end in a cliffy. Mwahahahahahaha!!!!!! Maybe some of you would find the story familiar because I was inspired by (plagiarized from) one of Roald Dahl's short stories (Bed and Breakfast). I had this text for my literature practice a few years back.

And yes, I seem to write creepy stories pretty well.